Health Equity Action Plan
After OHE was established in 2012, the Health Equity Coalition (HEC), consisting of equity stakeholders throughout VA, was assembled. OHE and the HEC created a Health Equity Action Plan (HEAP) to guide the work of the office.
The 2016 Commission on Care and Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Budget called for specific actions by VA to improve equitable and quality care for all Veterans. Consequently, the HEC was reconvened to make recommendations for change and to develop a new plan to guide the next 5 years of OHE. The new plan is organized around 5 Aims to match the goals of the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA) National Stakeholder Strategy (NSS), the HHS led federal strategy for eliminating disparities:
- Awareness
- Leadership
- Health system and life experience
- Cultural competency and diversity
- Data, research, and evaluation
The HEAP is a living strategic document to achieve health equity for U.S. Veterans. Individual action plans with performance goals will be developed annually for each of the 5 Aims. Plans and benchmarks for achieving milestones will be regularly reviewed, updated, and assessed to determine successes and barriers. The HEAP FY2024 Operational Plan identifies functions, activities, and objectives for the current fiscal year.
