The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently noted in a statement that they were partnering with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to eliminate instances in which both agencies may be billed for the same healthcare episode.1
As part of the partnership, VA and CMS reviewed medical billings for the past several years for veterans enrolled in both VA healthcare and Medicare and said they noted $106 million that was “improperly spent on duplicate billings,” and that they are going to send bills to “overpaid providers” to recover “any improper payments.”
Approximately 5.9 million veterans are dually enrolled in VA healthcare and Medicare, and both VA and CMS pay for a variety of medical care from third-party providers.
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.
“For too long, government programs have operated in silos, enabling improper payments to slip through the cracks at the expense of taxpayers,” CMS Administrator Dr Mehmet Oz noted in the statement. “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.”
Reference
- Department of Veterans Affairs. VA, CMS partner to identify and recover $106M in duplicate billing. July 22, 2025. Accessed July 28, 2025. https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-cms-partner-to-identify-and-recover-106m-in-duplicate-billing/