ExecutiveOrdersEO
EO 13214Executive OrderG.W. Bush · R

Executive Order 13214

President's Task Force To Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation's Veterans

This executive order creates a 15-member presidential task force to study and recommend improvements in health care delivery for veterans, focusing on better coordination between the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. The task force is required to produce an interim report within 9 months of its first meeting and a final report before the end of its second year of operation, after which it terminates.

Federal Register Open PDF 66 FR 29447

Impact dates

  1. Interim report due

  2. Latest possible termination date (2 years from order)

  3. Final report due prior to end of second year of operation

Key directives

  • Establish 15-member Task Force with 2 co-chairs
  • Include health care experts, VA/DoD officials, and veteran/military service organization representatives
  • Study VA-DoD coordination for beneficiary services
  • Review barriers to interdepartmental coordination including budgeting, billing, IT, and reimbursement
  • Identify resource sharing opportunities for buildings, IT, procurement, and care delivery
  • VA to provide administrative support and funding
  • Co-chairs to appoint Executive Director
  • Agency heads to provide requested information
  • Interim report at 9 months from first meeting
  • Final report before end of second year
  • Termination 30 days after final report or no later than 2 years from order date

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • Task Force establishment
  • President to appoint 15 members including 2 co-chairs
  • VA to provide administrative support and funding

Near term (90d)

  • Executive Director appointment by co-chairs
  • Initial meetings called by co-chairs
  • Information gathering from executive branch agencies

Long term

  • Interim report due 9 months after first meeting
  • Final report due prior to end of second year of operation
  • Task Force termination 30 days after final report or no later than 2 years from order date

Risks & tensions

  • No specific calendar date for first meeting, making interim report timing uncertain
  • 9-month and 2-year deadlines are relative to unspecified 'first meeting' and 'operation' start, creating ambiguity
  • Task Force has no enforcement authority—recommendations are advisory only
  • Coordination barriers identified (budgeting, IT, reimbursement) are structurally deep and historically persistent
  • No compensation for members may limit availability of expert participants
Executive Order 13214: President's Task Force To Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation's Veterans · Executive Orders