The Veterans Choice Program (VCP) attempts to improve the quality of healthcare that veterans of the United States Armed Services can receive. Medical care provided to veterans has, in recent years, become a contentious issue that has been debated in a number of high ranking legislative bodies, including Congress. Many veterans have complained their local Veterans Administration (VA) medical facilities force them to wait too long to receive needed care, lack specialists needed to diagnose and treat specific illnesses, and are often located a considerable distance from where they reside.
How Did The VCP Come To Pass?
In response to this crisis, Congress, in 2014, adopted the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act geared towards ensuring veterans receive the highest quality and the most expedited medical care possible. A tenet of this Act was the creation of the Veterans Choice Program, more commonly referred to as the VCP.
What Benefits Does The VCP Provide?
This legislation gives eligible veterans the opportunity to seek evaluation and treatment from a primary care physician, enables veterans to receive inpatient and outpatient visits from specialists when their local VA hospital does not provide such services and mental consultations when their local VA clinic does not provide such services.
Enrollment in VCP enables veterans to seek care from physicians and medical facilities not included in the Patient-Centered Community Care (PCCC) network overseen by the Health Net Federal Services Agency.
Are All Veterans Eligible To Participate In VCP?
Not all veterans can participate in VCP. To qualify, he or she must be enrolled in the Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system and meet at least one of the following criteria: The veteran cannot receive an appointment at his or her local VA clinic within either 30 days of when a physician feels the veteran needs to be seen, or within 30 days of when the veterans wishes to meet with a physician; the veteran resides in excess of 40 miles from a VA hospital employing a primary care doctor; the veteran needs to travel by plane or sea vessel to reach his or her nearest VA clinic; such travel would cause the veteran undue stress, the veteran’s specific illness or disability requires participation in VCP, or the veteran resides in a state or United States territory which does not have a VA hospital.
A veteran’s eligibility will need to be confirmed by Choice Program administrators. In addition, authorization to receive any care under the Program must be given by the HNFS. Once enrollment is complete and all eligibility requirements have been met, the veteran will receive a Choice Card, which they will need to present during medical visits.
The Veterans Choice Program (VCP) is the federal government’s attempt to provide better and more convenient medical care to the men and women who have served the nation and defended its freedom. Veterans interested in learning more about the program, enrolling, or those wishing to check their eligibility status may do so by visiting websites such websites as hfns.com, va.gov or by calling 1-866-606-8198.
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