VA Mental Health: Additional Action Needed to Assess Rural Veterans’ Access to Intensive Care

The Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021 included a provision for GAO to study the intensive mental health care that VHA makes available to rural veterans. Among other objectives, this report examines the information VHA uses to monitor access to such care, what these data show about rural veterans’ access, and the guidelines VHA uses to establish programs for rural veterans.