Healthcare Inspection Readjustment Counseling Service Vet Center Report

The purpose of this review was to gather information on the operational procedures of Vet Centers. The Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) manages the Vet Centers and the provision of readjustment counseling. RCS has its own organizational structure, manages its own resources, and evaluates its own program. We noted several opportunities to strengthen the Vet Centers’ effectiveness, oversight, and continuous improvement. To improve operations, we recommended that: (1) Vet Center counselors appropriately document in RCS client case files and that corrective action is taken when documentation problems are identified, (2) all Vet Centers have an External Clinical Consultant, (3) each Vet Center has a seat and participates on the support facility’s Mental Health Council, and (4) RCS comply with their existing policies or revise their policies to be consistent with present practice.