Relevance
In conclusion, there is a continued need for the Program. Although the Program’s war service population is declining, there is an emerging and growing need for Program services within the CAF population. Veterans continue to access the Program and the objective of the Program continues to be met, allowing people to remain independent in their homes and communities.
The Program is aligned with the priorities and objectives of the federal government, as well as VAC’s mandate, and the strategic outcomes identified by the Department.
Performance
Effectiveness
According to information available, the Department is effective at meeting the intermediate and ultimate outcomes outlined in the program PMP. However, the evaluation team noted that revisions to the Program’s immediate outcome performance indicators are required. Once this is completed, the PMP and PMS, and logic model must be modified accordingly.
Economy and Efficiency
The number of recipients in the program and the cost of the Program are both forecasted to decrease.
Administration costs of the Program were compared to similar programs administered internationally and by the provinces. An accurate comparison was not possible as different administration models were used in each program.
At the time of evaluation, VAC did not have the capability to accurately measure the full cost of its individual outputs, as found in the logic model. The lack of available measures makes it difficult to determine the efficiency of Program changes.
To date, data is not sufficient to evaluate the efficiency of the new Program payment model. The GDT requires refinement to allow for a greater range of housekeeping hours for Veterans with moderate needs. Although the tool provides consistency, it does not allow flexibility when conducting assessments.
The evaluation resulted in the following recommendations:
Recommendation 1:
It is recommended that Director General of Service Delivery and Program Management:
- revise the performance indicators to better measure the achievement of the immediate outcome;
- accurately measure the cost of inputs and outputs for the Program; and
- report on results.
Management Response
Management agrees with this recommendation and will work to modify the Program Measurement Strategy and the Performance Measurement Plan.
| Corrective Action to be Taken | Office of Primary Interest (OPI) | Action Completion Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Division will revise the performance indicators for the immediate outcome to better measure and report on the objectives and achievement of the outcome. The VIP PMS, PMP, and logic model will be updated as required to reflect the changes. The Division will also work with Finance, Information Technology, and the Health Claims Processor to provide an accurate measure of the cost of program inputs and outputs and to improve reporting capability. The new Policy on Results establishes new guidelines for measuring performance; VIP Program Management will begin development of these products once these new guidelines are known. |
Service Delivery and Program Management | September 2017 |
Recommendation 2:
It is recommended that the Director General of Service Delivery and Program Management refine the tool used to determine housekeeping hours to ensure benefit recipients receive adequate support.
Management Response
Management agrees with this recommendation and will work to refine the tool and make modifications where required.
| Corrective Action to be Taken | Office of Primary Interest (OPI) | Action Completion Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Grant Determination Tool (GDT) was developed based on a comprehensive review completed by VAC's Research Directorate. This review identified that once an individual's need for housekeeping service exceeded 4 hours per week, daily housekeeping of 14 hours per week was typically required and, therefore, the GDT's method of calculating the hours of need was designed to reflect these results. Program Management will work with the VAC Research Directorate to ensure that the GDT appropriately reflects the needs of recipients. A review will be conducted to validate the methodology used to determine the time required to address housekeeping needs. Any shortcomings identified during the review will be addressed and the tool will be adjusted, as required. |
Service Delivery and Program Management | July 2017 |