VA Update
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Presentation Transcript
VA Update Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board Quarterly Meeting Portland, OR January 16, 2018
Community Care Coordination • Existing reimbursement agreements will expire on June 30th 2019 – discussions on follow-on agreements will be conducted. • Care coordination is largely a local matter – we need to know where this is not working well. Building relationships between tribes/IHS and VA is key. • Only direct care is reimbursed under existing agreements. Future ability to reimburse for purchased care is unknown; we welcome collaboration with one or more tribes to improve coordination of VA purchased care.
Tribal Health Program • Contract with Cerner to purchase a new Electronic Health Record is being pursued (no estimated award date) • Eligibility for VA healthcare benefits is defined in legislation; we can only apply those criteria to assess whether a Veteran is eligible. Enrollment staff at the local VA Medical Center can assist with this www.va.gov is a good resource • Pharmacy billing questions
Tribal Health Program (continued) • GAO reports on VA-IHS MOU • VA training for coordinating services - addressed at local levels • Cultural Competency – OTGR office working on training module • Veterans Choice Program (VCP) – describe and update • On Dec 22nd VCP funding was extended ($2.1 billion); should last until mid-2018 • Emergency MH care expanded to OTH-discharged Vets last spring • Latest EO offers 1 year MH care to all newly discharged Vets • Pending legislation: CARE Act • Congressional interest in expanding VA Caregiver Support Program to earlier Vet cadres (earlier than 9/11 gen)
VA Office of Tribal Government Relations Update • VA releasing their 2017 Executive Summary Report regarding engagement with Indian Country • Going through concurrence process now • Nationwide Outreach Campaign in Indian Country for Veterans with presumptive disabilities • DTLL sent out October 30, 2017 • 20 Tribes responded – 6 within my region (AK, CA, NV, OR, WA) • VA OTGR engaging in 2018 outreach across Indian Country • Veteran Summits, Regional Tribal Meetings, Veteran Training, Tribal Site Visits
Questions Regarding Reimbursement Agreements • Bill Murray, VISN 20 Strategic Planner, William.Murray3@va.gov, 360-567-4684 • Terry Bentley, Tribal Government Relations Specialist, Pacific District (OR, WA, CA, ID, NV, CA, AK) Terry.Bentley@va.gov, 541-440-1271 • VHA Chief Business Office for Purchased Care, tribal.agreements@va.gov