The Department of Veterans Affairs has increased its vehicle fleet by almost 50 percent since 2005 — acquiring more than 5,000 vehicles — due largely to new programs that provide in-home care and transportation for veterans to and from VA medical facilities.

This is according to a U.S. Government Accountability study released this month that found the federal non-postal, non-combat vehicle fleet has grown 7 percent since 2005 to 449,444 vehicles.

The GAO did not calculate the cost of the 29,062 added vehicles, but noted that 54,964 new and replacement vehicles in 2011 cost $1.36 billion.

The Air Force, meanwhile, is on track to save millions of dollars as it has reduced its non-tactical vehicle fleet by 7 percent. In August 2011, the agency identified more than 6,000 underutilized vehicles that, if eliminated, could save the Air Force an estimated half billion dollars in procurement and leasing costs.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base officials said the size of the local fleet has actually increased by seven vehicles to 708, but that was largely because of base realignments that brought more than 1,000 new positions to the base. Base officials expect the fleet to shrink as a result of defense cuts next year.

President Barack Obama in May 2011 issued a memorandum calling for federal agencies to help reduce oil imports by one-third by 2025 by right-sizing their fleets.

“The Federal fleet should operate only as many vehicles as needed to work efficiently, leveraging Federal purchasing dollars to build manufacturing capacity for more alternative fueled vehicles, and reducing petroleum consumption through efficiency and alternative fuels,” the order said.

But cutting down on vehicles is at cross purposes with increasing services to veterans. The VA medical centers in Cincinnati and Dayton added 73 new vehicles to their fleets in recent years of at a cost of $365,289. This brought the two hospitals’ vehicle budget to $859,753.

“The addition of vehicles into the fleet can primarily be attributed to the growth of clinical activities that intend to make healthcare more accessible for veterans,” said southwest Ohio VA spokeswoman Denise Kerr. “Primarily, mental health and primary care programs are responsible for the most growth.”

VA officials say the number of veterans is decreasing, but the amount of staff and services needed are increasing for veterans with service-connected disabilities and those using expanded mental health, home-based and rural care services.

For example, the Dayton VA has 23 vehicles assigned to clinicians who travel from clinics in Dayton, Middletown, Lima and Springfield to veterans’ homes to treat medical, social and behavioral conditions. This program was started six years ago. To date, there have been 560 veterans assisted by this program.

The Cincinnati VA has 33 vehicles in this program, up from five in 2005, which currently serves 460 veterans.

Another 33 vehicles in Dayton and 11 in Cincinnati are used to deliver mental health care to hundreds of veterans’ homes. A mobile health unit based out of an RV offers screening and other services to rural areas.

The VA leases the vehicles through the U.S. General Services Administration. The majority of the vehicles driven by local VA employees are Chevrolet Malibus, Chevrolet Impalas, Pontiac G6s and Ford Fusions.

“The vehicles purchased for the patient care programs are compact and midsize vehicles,” Kerr said. “We also purchase alternative fuel vehicles for the local dispatch motor pool.”

The GAO report found that the percentage of alternative fuel vehicles increased from about 14 percent to 33 percent of the federal fleet since 2005. VA officials say at least 75 percent of the vehicles they acquire use flex fuels.

The Wright-Patterson fleet has increased its percentage of vehicles sipping ethanol from 16 percent in 2008 to 47 percent now.

“That puts (the base) at pretty much the top Air Force-wide in driving that,” said WPAFB spokesman Daryl Mayer.