VA has a faster way to schedule Veteran community care appointments. Since last year, External Provider Scheduling (EPS) has allowed VA staff to book appointments directly into community providers’ scheduling grids without relying on multiple calls to confirm preferences and availability. There are currently over 2,700 active providers in EPS, and we are onboarding more daily!

EPS is now operational at 22 sites! Below is the complete list of all locations where EPS is currently available and where it will soon be available in fiscal year 2025. You can opt-in if you are local to sites using EPS:

Single Facility: Altoona, PA* | Dallas, TX* | Marion, IL* | Nashville, TN* |
New Orleans, LA* | Omaha, NE* | Orlando, FL* | Wichita, KS*

VISN 6: Asheville, NC | Durham, NC* | Fayetteville, NC | Hampton, VA | Richmond, VA | Salem, VA | Salisbury, NC*

VISN7: Atlanta, GA* | Augusta, GA* | Birmingham, AL | Charleston, SC* | Columbia, SC* | Dublin, GA | Montgomery, AL | Tuscaloosa, AL

VISN 19: Denver, CO* | Cheyenne, WY | Ft. Harrison, MT* | Grand Junction, CO | Muskogee, OK | Oklahoma City, OK | Salt Lake City, UT | Sheridan, WY

VISN 20: Anchorage, AK | Boise, ID | Portland, OR* | Roseburg, OR | Puget Sound, WA* | Spokane, WA* | Walla Walla, WA | White City, OR

VISN 22: Albuquerque, NM | Loma Linda, CA | Long Beach, CA | Los Angeles, CA* | Phoenix, AZ* | Prescott, AZ | San Diego, CA* | Tucson, AZ

*EPS at the site

Benefits of EPS to Community Providers

• Fewer phone calls from VA. EPS replaces most phone calls with VA, which is less time-consuming for everyone.
• Convenient scheduling. EPS allows immediate visibility in your grids.
• You maintain control of your scheduling grids.
• Simplifies workflows. Enables one-touch coordination between VA and Veterans.
• No additional cost to you.
• Consult authorizations are already approved. Scheduled appointments are already authorized, so you don’t have to worry about payment.

We need you! (To opt-in to EPS)

VA schedulers have voiced their love for EPS and emphasized the need for more providers to opt-in and be available on the platform. Your participation can help achieve everyone's shared goal of faster, more efficient appointment bookings for Veterans.

To learn how to opt-in, or for other EPS questions, email EPSProviderEngagementTeam@va.gov.

The 2025 VA Fee Schedule is now available. Rates went into effect Jan. 1, 2025.  

VA reimburses hospital, medical, and extended care services up to the maximum allowable rate, which for most services is the Medicare rate published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). When a Medicare rate does not exist, VA pays using the VA Fee Schedule (VAFS). In instances where there is no Medicare or VAFS rate, VA pays a percentage of the amount billed by the provider.

VA calculates rates using a combination of VA claims data, Medicare policies and fee schedules, Medicaid fee schedules, TRICARE fee schedules, and industry benchmarking data. See the March 2024 Federal Register Notice for more information on how VA Fee Schedule rates are established.

Note: A drug, device, procedure, or service assigned a procedure code and a payment rate under the VA Fee Schedule does not imply coverage. It only indicates how the product, procedure, or service may be paid if covered by the Veterans Community Care Program.

You can find more information on the VA Fee Schedule webpage.

To provide feedback about your interactions with the VA Fee Schedule, email VHA16IVCIENVAFeeScheduleInquiries@va.gov.

Flu and COVID vaccines are available at no cost to eligible Veterans at all VA health care facilities and -network community providers, including more than 65,000 in-network community retail pharmacies and urgent care walk-in locations.

Please encourage your Veteran patients to get their no-cost shots to protect themselves, their families, and their community from the flu, COVID, and related complications.    

You may receive an increase in calls from Veterans asking about VA coverage for these vaccines.   

To be eligible for a flu and COVID shot from a community provider, Veterans must:

1. Be enrolled in VA health care and
2. Have received care at a VA facility or with a VA community provider within the past 24 months.

Veterans can verify their eligibility for the community urgent care benefit—which includes flu and COVID vaccinations—by calling 800-MyVA411 (800-698-2411) then selecting option 1 (urgent care information), then option 3 (urgent care information), and option 1 again (check urgent care eligibility).

We recommend you confirm with your Veteran patients whether they are eligible before they come in for a flu or COVID vaccine.

Billing   

You can click here to view the billing information Veterans may bring to their vaccination appointment. Keep this handy to help with your own billing processes.

Resources and Support   

• Community Care Flu Shots | Billing Information
• Influenza: prevention.va.gov/flu
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/flu (CDC)

Civilian Health and Medical Program of VA (CHAMPVA) patients must have a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis to be covered for Ozempic and Mounjaro prescriptions.

Ozempic and Mounjaro are FDA-approved for the management of Type 2 diabetes. If other diagnosis codes are used, CHAMPVA will reject the prescription until there is documentation that the patient has a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis. 

Using Ozempic and Mounjaro for obesity (weight loss) is not covered under CHAMPVA.

For questions, contact:

• CHAMPVA: 800-733-8387
• Optum Rx Pharmacy Help: 888-546-5503

Website: CHAMPVA–Information for Providers - Community Care

This episode of MS & Vets discusses multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse management. Join Dr. Carolyn Bevan, a neurologist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, to learn what causes relapses, how to recognize them, and relapse management strategies.

You can listen to the full episode to learn more. You can also check out this MS clinical care training series on VHA TRAIN.

Alan Spielman had an early interest in electronics, which led him to join the U.S. Coast Guard in 1979, seeking training in the field.

Spielman’s Coast Guard career spanned from 1979 to 1988, during which he served as an electronics technician. He joined the USCG Electronic Systems Support Detachment in Ketchikan, Alaska, from 1985 to 1988. In this role, he maintained and repaired electronic equipment on various Coast Guard vessels and aircraft.

His expertise was crucial in preparing Coast Guard ships for joint military exercises with other branches of the armed forces.

Spielman received a Joint Service Commendation Medal and multiple unit commendations. After he left the Coast Guard, Spielman continued to work in communications technology, traveling globally as a commissioning engineer for high-power communications systems.

Following the events of 9/11, Spielman’s sense of duty led him to volunteer for a mission to the Middle East, where he set up over-the-horizon communications systems in support of coalition operations.

In his post-military life, Spielman has served as his company’s Veteran resource representative, and he works to preserve the stories of fellow service members, particularly those from World War II and the Korean War.

We honor his service. You can read his full story on the VA News website.

Nashville native Scotty Hasting enlisted in the Army in 2010 as an infantryman. His first assignment was with 1st Infantry Division in Fort Riley, Kansas.

Hasting received a Purple Heart and a Combat Infantryman Badge for his service in Afghanistan. After being wounded in combat, he joined the U.S. Paralympic program where he excelled in archery.

Hasting also learned to play the guitar, a new skill that would help him overcome feelings of isolation and silence. Not only did he find his own way to deal with posttraumatic stress disorder, but he also signed a record deal with Black River Entertainment in late 2023, and released three singles, one of which is entitled, "How Do You Choose."

Today, Hasting spends his free time helping Veterans who struggle to accept difficult life experiences. He volunteers with CreatiVets and Guitars 4 Vets, two non-profit organizations that help struggling Veterans heal through art and music.

“I want to show people that it may be bad now, but I promise you, it’s going to get better,” he said.

We honor his service. You can read his full story on the VA News website.