#Middlebury #Veterans #MentalHealthCare #SubstanceAbuse
VETERANS POST
By Freddy Groves
Veterans no longer have to pay the copays for the first three outpatient visits for mental health and substance use disorder care during each calendar year … until the end of 2027. If any copays were paid going back to June 27, 2023, those costs will be reimbursed automatically. There is a rule however: The outpatient appointment has/had to be with a mental health professional at the VA or someone in the VA’s approved network of community providers.
For new patients at the VA, the waiting times for appointments have decreased over the past year with primary care falling 11% percent and mental health visit wait times coming down 7%. That’s quite an accomplishment, since last year the VA provided over 116 million health care visits, which was 3 million more than the previous highest year. At the same time, over 400,000 veterans enrolled in health care in the past year, and the Crisis Line fielded over 1 million calls, up 15% over the previous year.
An important note: Any veteran in acute suicidal crisis can go to any health care facility for emergency care, whether it’s a VA or non-VA facility. This rule has been in place since Jan. 17, 2023, but too many don’t know about this option. The veteran is eligible for up to 30 days of inpatient care or up to 90 days of outpatient care. Being signed up in the VA health care system is not required, and there is no cost to the veteran, including for ambulance transportation.
There are a couple of rules to make sure the VA ends up paying for this care. The facility must be an emergency department at a full medical facility like a hospital. An urgent care facility doesn’t count. The VA must be notified within 72 hours. Ideally, it’s the facility that will call VA at 844-724-7842, but a friend or relative can call as well. See www.va.gov/COMMUNITYCARE/providers/info-EmergencyCare.asp for more information.
© 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.
