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Avoid delays in emergency care authorization
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Enroll in direct deposit to avoid payment pauses
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26 new Clinical Determinations
and Indications
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VA makes cancers presumptive for service connection
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If you have experienced a longer than expected wait for VA to authorize a Veteran’s emergency care, we need your help.
VA is working to improve the timeliness of community care authorization decisions. The first step is to ensure the information received from your initial notification is complete and accurate, either through VA’s Emergency Care Reporting (ECR) portal or by calling 844-72HRVHA (844-724-7842).
Please:
- Ensure the chief complaint being reported is accurate (along with the diagnosis code).
- Note the Veteran’s mode of arrival to the emergency room (e.g. ambulance, walk-in).
- Note whether the Veteran was admitted for further treatment.
- Submit the Veteran’s medical documentation to the nearest VA medical center as soon as possible.
All information reported must be supported by medical documentation.
With your help, we can identify issues and serve you and the Veterans you care for more effectively.
Please visit VA's emergency medical care webpage for more information.
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If you accept patients under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of VA (CHAMPVA), you must set up electronic funds transfer (EFT) to get your claims paid. If you are not enrolled in EFT, your claims payments will be paused until your EFT enrollment is complete.
EFT is secure, efficient, and helps safeguard Veterans’ family members’ access to benefits.
Getting paid by EFT is also a Federal requirement.
If you haven’t already:
- Visit the VA Financial Services Center Customer Engagement Portal.
- Enroll using the Payment Account Setup web form. For assistance with the webform, call 877-353-9791.
Your payments will be automatically deposited into a bank account. Make the move today!
About CHAMPVA
CHAMPVA is a health care program for qualified spouses, widows(ers), and children of eligible Veterans. Through CHAMPVA, VA shares the cost of certain health care services and supplies with eligible beneficiaries.
More Information:
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VA has added 26 Clinical Determinations and Indications (CDIs) to its existing library.
CDIs outline clinical criteria to determine whether a service is medically necessary for a Veteran receiving community care. If you have questions about a published CDI, use the CDI Question Submission Form. You can also watch the CDI Overview webinar on VHA TRAIN for more information.
There are currently 26 published CDIs:
- Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation
- Bioimpedance Devices for the Detection of Lymphadema
- Cataract Extraction and Intraocular Lens Implant
- Cryoablation for Malignant Breast Tumors
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy for Musculoskeletal Condition
- Fecal Microbiota Products for Clostridioides difficile Infections
- Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Intranasal Esketamine for Treatment Resistant Depression
- Intravenous Ketamine for Treatment Resistant Depression
- Ketamine for Chronic Pain
- Lutetium-177 (Lu177) PSMA-617, Vipivotide Tetraxetan (Pluvicto)
- Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) Thalamotomy
- Osseoanchored Prostheses for the Rehabilitation of Amputees (OPRA)
- Pneumatic Compression Devices for Lymphedema
- Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography Scan for Prostate Cancer
- Proton Beam Therapy
- Sacral Neuromodulation
- Thermal Evacuation Therapy and Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for MGD
- Thread Carpal Tunnel
- Total Artificial Heart
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
- Transurethral Water Vapor Thermal Therapy for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
- Transurethral Waterjet Ablation for BPH
- Tumor Treating Fields (TTF) Therapy
- Ultrasound-Guided Radiofrequency Ablation for Symptomatic Uterine Fibroids
- Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator
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VA has made several cancers presumptive for service connection, meaning Veterans with these illnesses have a lowered burden of proof to receive no-cost health care and earned benefits. These cancers include:
- Acute and chronic leukemias
- Multiple myelomas
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
- Myelofibrosis
- Urinary bladder
- Ureter
- Related genitourinary cancers
This action lowers the burden of proof for affected Veterans, meaning that they do not need to prove their service caused their condition to receive benefits for it. Instead, VA automatically assumes service connection for the condition and provides appropriate benefits. Additionally, when a Veteran’s health condition is recognized as service-connected, they have access to free health care for that condition.
If you have a Veteran patient with any of these conditions, please encourage them to apply for benefits today or reapply if they have previously denied claims. They can visit VA.gov or call 800-MYVA411.
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E D U C A T I O N & T R A I N I N G
Program description: This training will help you develop skills in managing services related to older Veterans with complex psychosocial and medical needs. This training is best suited for mental health professionals, social workers, and other health care providers. It is sponsored by VA’s Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care.
Date: Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. ET
Location: VHA TRAIN
Credit/hours: One (1)
Accreditations: AAPA, ACCME, ACCME-NP, ANCC, AOTA, APA, APTA, ASWB, JA IPCE, NBCC, NYSED-P, NYSED-SW
Incorporating geriatric principles in the care of older adults with kidney disease
Program description: This training will teach you how to provide more individualized, patient-centered care to older Veterans with kidney disease by incorporating geriatric principles into your care approach. This training is intended for nurses, physicians, and other health care professionals. It is sponsored by VA’s Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care.
Date: Feb. 21 at noon ET and again at 3 p.m. ET
Location: VHA TRAIN
Credit/hours: One (1)
Accreditations: ACCME, ACCME-NP, ACPE, ANCC, AOTA, APA, APTA, ASWB, CDR, JA IPCE, NBCC, NYSED-P, NYSED-SW
Hot topics in environmental exposures: Lead, anti-malarials and K-2
Program description: This training will cover the latest information on environmental exposure topics, including anthrax, liver fluke infection, mefloquine, directed energy, lead and radiation, and potential exposures at Qarmat Ali and Karshi Khanabad, or K-2. This training is best suited for physicians, nurses, psychologists, and social workers. It was created by the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center within Health Outcomes Military Exposures (WRIISC-HOME).
Location: VHA TRAIN
Credit/hours: One (1)
Accreditations: AAPA, ACCME, ACCME-NP, ANCC, APA, ASWB, JA IPCE, NBCC, NYSED-P, NYSED-SW
Food and cognition: The interplay of nutrition, neuroscience, and health coaching
Program description: This training will discuss how inefficiency in brain function relates to cognitive impairment and how nutrition contributes to brain health and efficiency, and therefore to cognitive functioning. This training is best suited for nurses, physicians, and other clinicians. It is sponsored by the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center.
Location: VHA TRAIN
Credit/hours: One (1)
Accreditations: ACCME, ACCME-NP, APA, ANCC, ASWB, CDR, NYSED SW, JA IPCE, NYSEDP
Opioid Safety Initiative
Program description: This course promotes evidence-based management of Veterans with chronic pain to improve patient outcomes and decrease incidence of complications associated with opioid prescribing. The course is intended for pharmacy professionals, physicians, and other clinicians. It is sponsored by VA’s Office of Integrated Veteran Care.
Location: VHA TRAIN
Credit/hours: One (1)
Training 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!
Interested in more Optum and TriWest news and information? Click here for access to Optum newsletters. TriWest’s Provider Pulse newsletter can be found here.
Preventing Suicide Through Lethal Means Safety and Safety Planning
Program description: This course provides updated lethal means safety training and resources for mental health professionals, social workers, and other mental health and suicide prevention clinicians. The course is sponsored by VA’s Office of Suicide Prevention.
Location: VHA TRAIN
Credit/hours: One (1)
Accreditations: APA, ACCME, ACCME-NP, ANCC, APA, NBCC, ASWB, NYSED SW
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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COMMUNITY PROVIDERS: Thank you for all you do to support Veterans.
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