CARF accredits VA hospitals

Same standards as for other facilities will apply

Nearly 300 Veteran’s Affairs (VA) hospitals are expected to achieve accreditation from CARF...The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission by the year 2001.

CARF, based in Tucson, AZ, began conducting accreditation standards of the VA medical rehabilitation programs in January 1997 under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

CARF is surveying the VA programs that provide acute and subacute comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation, spinal cord injury rehab, comprehensive pain management, and specialized brain injury rehabilitation. The accreditation body also will survey programs in the VA’s employment centers and behavioral health treatment programs.

CARF will apply the same standards to the VA rehabilitation programs as the accreditation organization applies to other rehab programs.

According to the VA, 1.75 million veterans have service-connected disabilities.

"Involvement in the CARF accreditation process provides an excellent opportunity for the VA to stay abreast to developments in the field and constructively contribute to the larger rehabilitation community," says Donald E. Gavin, PhD, president and chief executive officer of CARF.