Veterans Health Administration Mental Health Program Evaluation, 2006-2010

A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs-sponsored evaluation represents the most comprehensive assessment of a mental health care system ever undertaken. The RAND/Altarum team conducted this study between August 2006 and November 2010, focusing on care quality for veterans with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, PTSD, major depressive disorder, or substance use disorder. Results are intended for policymakers, mental health professionals, and veterans interested in health issues.

Use Cases

• Benchmarking mental healthcare quality metrics based on the five specified diagnoses.
• Analyzing longitudinal trends in veteran mental health treatment based on the 2006-2010 study period.
• Modeling policy impact on care delivery systems based on the comprehensive system evaluation.
• Comparing treatment outcomes for conditions like PTSD and substance use disorder within a single integrated health system.

Strengths

• Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and conducted by RAND Health and Altarum, indicating authoritative provenance.
• Evaluation focused on five specific mental health and substance abuse diagnoses, providing clear scope.
• Study conducted over a four-year period from August 2006 to November 2010, offering a longitudinal view.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific modeling tasks.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, conducted by Altarum and RAND Health.

Collection Method

Program evaluation study.

Time Range

August 2006 to November 2010.

Freshness

Last updated date is unknown.

Geography

United States (Veterans Health Administration system).