Service Delivery System
This program is proposed as a federal service delivery system. To guarantee that this requirement is met and the policy falls within federal jurisdiction, it is essential to address four dimensions of the program. First, it is federal because outright money payments and strict control over implementation are required. Because veterans served the state, it is imperative to assure that they are treated with equal respect and provided with adequate care across the country. The federal government is the only body that has enough resources and authority to support this initiative. Second, it is a direct service delivery system, i.e. the government is the direct and only supplier of healthcare services (Sanborn, 2013). Moreover, a high level of centralization is recommended, as it is assumed that strictly centralized program control is key to its success. Finally, this initiative requires detailed actions and decisions, which are closely connected to the determination of eligibility (Birkland, 2011). Meeting these criteria would make the program a federal fall within federal jurisdiction.
Financing of Policy
Because this initiative is a federal program, the federal budget is the main source of financing. Here, the foundation for allocating resources is the Tax Code, as taxes make up the basis of the state budget, and are later redirected to funding healthcare needs (Oliver, 2014). Nevertheless, just like in the case of other federal programs, additional sources of financing are acceptable. For instance, necessary funds can be withdrawn from state and local budgets. Moreover, the role of powerful private organizations such as the American Medical Association should not be underestimated, as their donations can help fill the existing funding gaps (Barr, 2016). Another option is attracting private contributions to healthcare units constructions or seeking discounts for providing healthcare services to those, who fall within the requirements of the program (Gholipour & Rouzbehani, 2016). Even though the last two recommendations are not directly connected to financing the initiative, they are beneficial for guaranteeing its success and addressing the mental needs of veterans as well as making the program more easily accessible.
Political, Administrative, and Financial Feasibility
The political feasibility of a governmental program can be determined by estimating the current situation in the existing environment and identifying barriers and opportunities for introducing the change (Mason, Gardner, Outlaw, & O’Grady, 2016). As for now, the issue of veterans’ mental health is addressed by another federal program – Veteran Health Administration. Nevertheless, access to adequate care is limited. Moreover, some significant problems such as high suicide rates among veterans are not addressed on a nationwide basis (Bagalman, 2016).
As for barriers and opportunities, the focus is usually made on the perception of implementing the proposed change (Patel & Rushefsky, 2014). Bearing in mind existing problems, launching a separate program focused on mental needs is recommended and politically feasible, as it would improve the image of the government. Speaking of administrative feasibility, the primary challenge is to determine who is eligible to care. However, in this case, the program is feasible because the government already has developed frameworks for drawing appropriate conclusions. That is why carrying it to another policy is all that is needed. Finally, as for financial feasibility, this initiative is easy to implement because funds can be redirected from the currently existing unit of the Veteran Health Administration to the whole new organization. From the perspective of governmental management, it would not take much effort and resources to support this change.
References
Bagalman, E. (2016). Health care for veterans: Suicide prevention. Web.
Barr, D. A. (2016). Introduction to U.S. health policy: The organization, financing, and delivery of health care in America. Baltimore, MD: Hopkins University Press.
Birkland, T. A. (2011). An introduction to the policy process: Theories, concepts, and models of public policymaking. New York, NY: Routledge.
Gholipour, R., & Rouzbehani, K. (2016). Social, economic, and political perspectives on public health policy making. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., Outlaw, F. H., & O’Grady, E. T. (2016). Policy and politics in nursing and health care. St. Louis, MI: Elsevier.
Oliver, T. R. (2014). Guide to U.S. health and health care policy. Washington, DC: CQ Press.
Patel, K., & Rushefsky, M. E. (2014). Healthcare politics and policy in America. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Sanborn, C. J. (2013). Case management in mental health services. New York, NY: Routledge.