VA, CMS partner to identify and recover $106M in duplicate billing

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced a new partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to eliminate instances in which both agencies are billed for the same health care episode.

As part of the partnership, VA and CMS reviewed medical billings for the last six years for Veterans enrolled in both VA health care and Medicare and found $106 million that was improperly spent on duplicate billings.

VA and CMS this month will begin sending bills to overpaid providers to recover any improper payments.

Approximately 5.9 million Veterans are dually enrolled in VA health care and Medicare, and both VA and CMS pay for a variety of medical care from third-party providers. Until now, however, VA and CMS had no system in place to prevent double billing.

VA and CMS have now established a data-matching agreement to identify medical providers who have submitted claims for payment to both VA and Medicare, helping eliminate overpayments and future instances of double billing.

“We are proud to implement this commonsense reform, which should have been instituted years ago but is only happening now under the leadership of President Trump,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “The money we save as a result of this effort will be much better spent helping VA and Medicare beneficiaries get the benefits they’ve earned.”

“For too long, government programs have operated in silos, enabling improper payments to slip through the cracks at the expense of taxpayers,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Under President Trump’s leadership, CMS is proud to partner with the VA to root out duplicate billing, recover taxpayer funds, and reduce redundant paperwork and waste so American Veterans and seniors receive the care they deserve.”