Report 2012-119 Recommendation 8 Responses

Report 2012-119: California Department of Veterans Affairs: It Has Initiated Plans to Serve Veterans Better and More Cost-Efficiently, but Further Improvements Are Needed (Release Date: May 2013)

Recommendation #8 To: Veterans Affairs, Department of

To better utilize unused space at the veterans homes, and to serve more veterans within legal restrictions, CalVet should identify measures to facilitate monitoring the success of its public-private partnership agreement with the Pathway Home at the Yountville veterans home, as well as its agreements with New Directions and Salvation Army Haven at the West Los Angeles veterans home.

1-Year Agency Response

Monitoring and evaluation criteria has been incorporated into a new lease with the Pathway Home Inc., and the lease was finalized in June 2013. Also, CalVet no longer has agreements with the Salvation Army Haven program or New Directions.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented


6-Month Agency Response

The Pathway Home Inc. lease was completed within the first 60 days and closed out. New Memorandum of Understandings with New Directions and Salvation Army Haven are pending signature.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending


60-Day Agency Response

Evaluation or monitoring criteria has been developed and will be included in the renegotiated lease between the State and the Pathway Home Inc. program. Monitoring criteria will be developed in collaboration with New Directions Inc. and Salvation Army Haven to ensure that the success of each program will be monitored. CalVet included metrics for review and evaluation of program success in the renegotiations with the Pathway Home Inc. and is waiting for response from the program's leadership. Monitoring and evaluation criteria has been incorporated into a new lease with the Pathway Home Inc. The lease was finalized in June 2013.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Partially Implemented

CalVet's July 2013 agreement with Pathway Home includes metrics for reviewing and evaluating program success, including required quarterly meetings between Pathway Home and CalVet to review, among other things, the program's status. In addition, the agreement requires Pathway Home to provide CalVet with quarterly reports detailing program participant census, admission rates, graduation rates, and participating rates during outpatient treatment activities. The agreement also permits CalVet to monitor Pathway Home's quality assurance measures and may request reports as needed.

CalVet anticipates that the revised agreements with New Directions Inc. and Salvation Army Haven will be completed by September 2013.


All Recommendations in 2012-119

Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.