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Correction: In last month’s issue, the article entitled ‘No insurance card needed from Veterans’ advised: ‘Emergency rooms should provide care to any Veteran who self-presents, then call the nearest VA medical center (VAMC) within 72 hours of the beginning of providing care to a Veteran.’
In fact, VA advises that emergency room staff should call the National Emergency Care line at 1-844-724-7842 within 72 hours.
We apologize for any confusion!
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National Suicide Prevention Month
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Lonely Veterans at higher risk
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Resolving debts
with VA
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Toxic exposure screening
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Bette Bolivar - highly decorated Retired Navy Veteran and Rear Admiral
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John N. Reese, Jr. - Army Veteran, member of the Choctaw tribe and Medal of Honor recipient
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Emergency care for a Veteran who is experiencing a suicidal crisis is available and VA will pay for it. Please remind your Veteran patients to get help, don’t wait. Preventing suicide among all Veterans is VA’s top clinical priority.
VA will furnish, pay for, or reimburse the cost of eligible Veterans' emergent suicide care and treatment at a VA or non-VA facility. This includes ambulance transportation, related prescriptions, up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential treatment, and up to 90 days of outpatient care at no cost to Veterans. To date, more than 31,000 Veterans have received this emergency benefit.
In times of distress, Veterans can call 988, then press 1; text 838255 or chat online to connect with the Veterans Crisis Line. This free, 24/7, confidential resource offers support from trained professionals to anyone – including family members and friends of a Veteran.
Veteran eligibility
VA will provide or pay for care if a Veteran:
- Served prior to September 7, 1980, was discharged from the military under a condition that is not dishonorable or the result of a general court martial.
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Enlisted or was commissioned after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty after October 16, 1981, and received a military discharge under a condition that is not dishonorable or the result of a general court martial after serving 24 continuous months or the full period for which the Veteran was called to active duty, unless the Veteran was:
- discharged for a disability caused – or made worse – by their active-duty.
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discharged for a hardship or “early out.”
Veterans discharged under other than honorable conditions are also eligible if they:
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Served 100 cumulative days in a combat zone or in support of a contingency operation either directly or by operating an unmanned aerial vehicle from another location.
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Were the victim of a physical assault of a sexual nature, a battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment while serving in the armed forces.
Reporting emergency care to VA
In most instances, eligible Veterans will receive VA-authorized emergency care at an in-network community facility if VA is notified within 72 hours of the start of care. Please include a valid email address for decision correspondence.
You will need to record the notification identification number assigned through the ECR portal or by phone to retrieve authorization decision information on emergency events. VA no longer includes Veterans’ personal identifying information (PII) in outgoing correspondence.
Timely reporting ensures administrative and clinical requirements are met allowing VA to pay for the care. It also helps reduce the Veteran’s stress and worry when they are most vulnerable and during their recovery.
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Loneliness is among the strongest predictors of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and other suicidal behavior – and is common among Veterans. One study found more than half of Veterans felt lonely some of the time or often. Furthermore, loneliness and social isolation have been linked to other physical and mental health outcomes.
Screening for loneliness among Veterans with mental health conditions may help identify those at risk for suicidal behavior. Resources such as the Veterans Crisis Line and VA Reach Out are available to help Veterans experiencing loneliness.
Understanding risk and protective factors is important to preventing Veteran suicides. “From Science to Practice” is designed to communicate the research in an easy-to-understand, quick-to-read format for clinicians and other stakeholders.
The latest issues address “Loneliness and Social Isolation – Risk Factors for Suicide and Ways Veterans Differ from the General Population.”
New From Science to Practice issues are regularly updated and released on a variety of key suicidology topics and risk factors. Click here for more From Science to Practice.
Everyone has a role to play in suicide prevention.
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If you owe money to VHA, which can happen if you receive an overpayment, you may be referred to the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). VA refers debts to the TOP when all other debt collection options have been exhausted. To collect past due debt, TOP may offset (withhold) all or part of your payment from VHA or another federal agency you do business with.
VHA discovers debt in several ways, such as a quality review or your acknowledgment of overpayment. Once a debt is realized, you will receive a bill of collection (BOC). You have 30 days from date of the BOC to exercise your due process rights; otherwise, VHA will proceed with debt collection.
There are three steps in the VHA debt collection process:
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If your debt payment is not received within 30 days, VHA will issue a notice of intent (NOI) stating the offset process will begin if payment is not received.
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If your debt payment is not received within 90 days, VHA will attempt to withhold your next payment via its financial management system (FMS). This is known as FMS offset.
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If the BOC cannot be offset through the FMS process within 120 days, your debt will be referred to the TOP.
Questions? Please contact VA Community Care Customer Service at 877-881-7618, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.
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E D U C A T I O N & T R A I N I N G
This course is one of VA’s monthly training webinars on how to implement the components of VA’s public health approach to suicide prevention.
Location: VHA TRAIN
ID#: 1096538
Time: One (1) hour
Population-Level Analyses of Rural Urban Suicide Disparity Among VA Patients
This program will discuss recently published research examining the rural-urban disparity in risk of death by suicide among VA patients. The target audience is physicians, nurses, psychologists, counselors, social workers, occupational therapists and pharmacists.
Location: VHA TRAIN
ID#: 1111641
Credit/hours: 1
Accreditations: ACCME, ACCME-NP, ACPE, ANCC, APA, ASWB, JA IPCE, NBCC, NYSED-P,
NYSED SW
Preventing Suicide Through Lethal Means Safety and Safety Planning
This course provides updated lethal means training and resources for VHA facility Suicide Prevention Coordinators and other MH/SP clinicians.
Location: VHA TRAIN
ID#: 1075258
Time: One (1) hour
Accreditations: APA, ACCME, ACCME-NP, ANCC, APA, NBCC, ASWB, NYSED SW
Diverse Reflections of Deep Sadness: Considering Suicide Through a Cultural Lens
This webinar focuses on encouraging a broader view when conceptualizing the reasons for and clinical responses to suicidal thoughts, behaviors and beliefs. The discussion will encourage weaving of diverse story, equity in provision of care and inclusion of differing ideology and prevention methods into clinical care and clinical research aims. The target audience is physicians, nurses, psychologists, counselors, social workers and pharmacists.
Location: VHA TRAIN
ID#: 1112434
Accreditations: ACCME, ACCME-NP, ACPE, ANCC, APA, ASWB, JA IPCE, NBCC, NYSED-P, NYSED-SW
 Just released video explains how each of us can help prevent suicide.
Trainings available through Optum and TriWest
Numerous live and on-demand webinars and trainings are offered by Optum and TriWest to fit your schedule. Check them out!
Questions? If you require assistance, please contact the VHA TRAIN Help Desk by email at vhatrain@va.gov.
How to obtain your credit completion certificate:
Once you complete a credited training, you can obtain your credential certificate(s) in four easy steps:
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Log in to VHA Train - https://vha.train.org/vha/login
- Go to “Your Learning”
- Go to “Your Certificates”
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Download your certificate
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V E T E R A N S P O T L I G H T |
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 Bette Bolivar - Retired Navy Veteran and Rear Adm. Babette (Bette) Bolivar served in the U.S. Navy for more than 35 years, becoming one of the first Filipino Americans to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy and one of the first women to become a diver with the Navy. Throughout her career, Bolivar was awarded the Legion of Merit medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, among others. Check out more of Bette’s story here.
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 John N. Reese, Jr. - Reese, of the Choctaw tribe enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942, and served in Company B, 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Division. On Feb. 9, 1945, Reese fought for the Paco Railroad Station in Manila, Philippines. He and a comrade charged ahead of their unit to dislodge 300 Japanese defenders inside the station. In what historian Ian Toll deemed, “an hour of extraordinary combat,” Reese and his companion single-handedly took out over 80 enemy combatants before running low on ammunition. Reese died while pulling back to the main line. His extraordinary heroism earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor. Reese was buried in Section 2, Site 1259-E at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Oklahoma. Honor his service at his Veterans Legacy Memorial page.
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V A 'G O O D N E W S' S T O R I E S
The VA delivered its first mobile medical unit (MMU) to Orlando, Fla., last month to provide health care to homeless and at-risk Veterans. Twenty-five more medical vehicles will deploy in other US cities in the coming months. MMUs are trucks or vans designed to provide a private space for eligible Veterans to access providers when they might be unable to visit local VA medical centers. MMUs will travel throughout cities to provide Veterans access to primary care, women’s health, audiology, laboratory work, mental health specialists, social workers and telehealth services. Learn more about VA’s MMUs and the cities they will be in. VA’s national call center for Veterans facing eviction or struggling with homelessness is 877-424-3838. |
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VA and the NAACP announced an agreement to work together to advance and improve quality of life for all Veterans, including minority Veterans. As a part of the partnership, VA and the NAACP will seek to increase the number of Black Veterans enrolled in VA health care, awareness of VA benefits and services among Black Veterans, and recruitment of culturally competent VA providers. You can learn more about this partnership here.
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Did you know VA provides several types of mental health residential treatment programs for Veterans? These programs address PTSD, substance use or other mental health concerns and focus on different areas of recovery depending on the recommended mental health treatment. Learn more about when a residential treatment program is a good option for a Veteran and what it’s like for a Veteran to participate in one of these programs. |
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COMMUNITY PROVIDERS: Thank you for all you do to support our Veterans.
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