Using an online tool or a central phone number, it’s now easier to notify VA within 72 hours when a Veteran receives emergency care at a community provider. VA’s centralized online Emergency Care Reporting (ECR) portal assists with coordination of an eligible Veteran’s care at a community emergency department and transfer to a VA medical center, if necessary.

Eligible Veterans who require emergent treatment can receive care at a local community emergency department without obtaining prior approval from VA. In most instances, eligible Veterans can receive VA-authorized emergency care at an in-network community facility if VA is notified within 72 hours of the start of care.

Veterans, their representatives, or community emergency department providers should submit treatment information through the ECR portal at  https://EmergencyCareReporting.CommunityCare.va.gov, or by calling 844-72HRVHA (844-724-7842).

Timely reporting through the portal helps ensure that administrative and clinical requirements for VA to pay for the care are met. 

Providers are required to include a valid email address for decision correspondence when reporting emergency treatment for a Veteran or coordinating follow-on care and transfers from a community emergency department to a VA medical center. 

Providers need the notification identification number assigned upon submission of reporting through the ECR portal or by phone to retrieve authorization decision information on emergency events.

For more information, see Emergency Medical Care–Information for Providers.

If you are a health care provider, you may find yourself interviewing a Veteran who tells you they are concerned about possible health effects from an exposure during military service, such as smoke and fumes from burn pits, groundwater contamination at Camp Lejeune, or the herbicide Agent Orange in Vietnam.

With VA’s Exposure Ed app, you can quickly find helpful information to share about exposures and health effects and help the Veteran identify VA benefits and services near them.

The Exposure Ed app allows you to search for information on chemical, physical, and environmental exposures by specific exposure name, dates and location of exposure, or conflict. You can learn about potential health effects from these exposures and related VA programs and policies. This mobile app is available for free download for Apple and Android mobile device users. 

“Veterans have unique risks, and among them are exposures to certain toxic agents,” said Stephen Hunt, an Occupational and Environmental Medicine physician in primary care and post-deployment care at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.  “If you are a primary care provider, you are busy doing so many things and you can’t know about all of the important details related to every toxic exposure,” added Hunt. “But you don’t need to have all this information in your head. With the app, you can have it at your fingertips,” he said. 

Additional features of the Exposure Ed app include the ability for health care providers to:

 Find tips for asking questions and communicating risk to patients

• Find guidance for creating a care plan
• Build a customized note of relevant information during a visit or consultation and then provide it to the Veteran via e-mail or print
• Identify the location of their patient’s local VA facilities and find links to information about local programs and benefits offered by VA, including information to determine eligibility to participate in VA clinical services and Environmental Health Registries

“For any exposure question a Veteran may have, with the Exposure Ed app, you can be connected within 30 seconds to the most relevant information available,” said Hunt. “You can bookmark and access a website for the information, but this app takes you there more quickly and has a wealth of useful and well-organized information.” 

While the Exposure Ed app is designed to help health care providers give information to Veterans, Veterans can also download and use the app.

Find the Exposure Ed app in the App Store and Google Play Store. Learn more about the app, including how to download it for your smartphone or tablet, at https://mobile.va.gov/app/exposure-ed.

Marine Veteran Richard Alcaraz (pictured at right) has a new outlook on life. After receiving care through VA’s Community Care Network (CCN), he has become a competitive athlete.

Alcaraz suffered from severe dermatological issues causing his prosthetic leg to be nearly unusable. He began to lose hope he would live a normal life again and found himself feeling depressed and isolated. “I didn’t feel like I was a complete person anymore,” he explained.

The care he needed was not readily available at his local VA. As a result, he thought he was running out of options. Then a Veteran friend told him that he may be able to see a doctor in the community. Alcaraz needed to hear this news.

Treatment improved health and well-being

Once VA determined him eligible for community care, the Phoenix VA Medical Center referred Alcaraz to TriWest’s community network of providers to receive the necessary treatment, which improved his health and well-being.

Alcaraz connected to a number of organizations that sponsor competitive sports for Veterans. TriWest sponsors those organizations as part of its Veteran-centric mission.

Thanks to these connections, Alcaraz found himself participating in a number of new sports, including skiing and badminton. “When I started playing sports, it made me feel like I had a purpose again,” said Alcaraz.

Traveling the world for competitions

Alcaraz is now a competitive, medal-winning athlete. He is a multi-year participant in the National Veteran Wheelchair Games and a Paralympic hopeful in badminton, traveling around the world for competitions.

He is grateful for the doctors, therapists and other supporting clinicians at VA and in the surrounding community. They helped him on this journey to become the accomplished athlete he is today. They gave him a new purpose and outlook on life after a difficult time.

Alcaraz hopes his story will bring other Veterans encouragement and remind them of the different options available to receive the care they deserve, whether in a VA facility or at a community provider.

“As a Vet, if you go to VA and they maybe don’t have the resources you’re looking for, you can be pointed to other sources in the community and VA will help you get the care you need,” he said.

Together, VA and TriWest ensure Veterans get the care they deserve, whether in a VA facility or in the community.

From VA’s official VAntage Point blog.

Care for the Caregiver: An Inclusive Care Approach (March 25, 2021, 1-2 pm ET)

Caregivers may be the first to notice changes in the Veteran’s behavior or needs. Yet, there is evidence of inconsistent practice in the inclusion of caregivers in health care teams. This training will assist care teams in understanding the needs of caregivers, their critical role in the care of the Veteran and the benefits of practicing inclusive care.

Register for the webinar through VHA TRAIN. Don’t have an account? Create one.

Webinar: VHA Office of Community Care Overview (April 15, 2021, 1-3:00 pm ET)

This webinar provides an overview of community care programs and policies, focuses on how to file clean claims, covers topics such as urgent and emergent Veteran care, eligibility, referral, and other critical provider issues.

 Register for the webinar through VHA TRAIN. Don’t have an account? Create one.