Executive Order 13214: President’s Task Force To Improve Health Care Delivery for Our Nation’s Veterans
President: George W. Bush
Created a 15-member advisory task force to recommend better coordination, information sharing, resource use and health-care delivery between the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense.
Status: Revoked.
Is Executive Order 13214 still in effect? No. Revoked September 30, 2003; task force completed.
What does Executive Order 13214 do?
The order assigned these duties: President — Appoint 15 members, including health, VA, DOD and service-organization expertise; Department of Veterans Affairs — Provide lawful administrative support and funding and perform most FACA functions.
Before and after
Before the order
VA and DOD operated separate health systems with statutory sharing authority but persistent coordination, billing, data and resource-use barriers.
After the order
The task force issued its final report on May 26, 2003. VA and DOD used the Joint Executive Council and later statutory planning requirements to carry forward recommendations. GAO found in 2008 that seven reviewed recommendations were fully implemented and eleven were partly implemented.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| President | Appoint 15 members, including health, VA, DOD and service-organization expertise | At establishment |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Provide lawful administrative support and funding and perform most FACA functions | During the task force |
| VA, DOD and other agencies | Provide requested information and analytical support | As requested |
| Task force | Submit interim and final findings through the VA and Defense Secretaries | Interim after nine months; final within two years |
What happened next
EO 13214 signed.
The task force issued its final report.
EO 13316 revoked EO 13214 after completion.
GAO reported mixed but substantial implementation progress on the task force recommendations.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The task force was advisory under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. VA and DOD health-care statutes, appropriations, privacy rules and later legislation governed implementation. Its recommendations did not independently create benefits or alter eligibility, and no order-specific court judgment was located.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- Bush White House archive — signed action (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on October 2, 2026. How we research →