Does VA Community Care Network cover mental health treatment? Yes, it can, for eligible veterans whose VA health care team approves and refers them to a community provider. That can include care for PTSD, depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder when the VA can’t provide it within its access standards or when community care is in your best medical interest. The Ranch Pennsylvania Outpatient Services accepts VA Community Care Network (VACCN) coverage for outpatient mental health treatment when the VA authorizes care.
Here’s how veterans can use community care for mental health, what the VA requires first, and who administers the network in Pennsylvania.
VA Mental Health Care: Inside and Outside the VA
The VA provides a wide range of mental health services directly. Its mental health services page lists care for PTSD, depression, thoughts of suicide, issues related to military sexual trauma, anxiety conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder, substance use problems, bipolar disorder and more, through inpatient, outpatient, residential and emergency care. The VA also offers same-day mental health services, and some services, including counseling at Vet Centers, may be available even if you’re not enrolled in VA health care.
Sometimes the right care isn’t available nearby or soon enough. That’s where community care comes in. The VA Community Care Network helps the VA offer care outside VA facilities, in veterans’ local communities, when needed.
Does VA Community Care Network Cover Mental Health Treatment for You?
To qualify, the VA says you must be enrolled in or eligible for VA health care and get approval from your VA care team before seeing a community provider, except in certain urgent or emergency cases. You also need to meet at least one eligibility criterion. For mental health, the one that often matters is the access standard:
- Drive time: the VA can’t provide mental health care within a 30-minute average drive of your home.
- Wait time: the VA can’t schedule mental health care within 20 days.
Other criteria include needing a service the VA doesn’t provide, living in a state without a full-service VA facility, qualifying under the 40-mile rule as of June 6, 2018, the VA being unable to meet its quality standards for the service, or you and your VA provider agreeing that community care is in your best medical interest.
Who Runs the Network in Pennsylvania?
The Community Care Network is split into regions. Pennsylvania is in Region 1, along with states including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia. The VA lists Optum Serve as the third-party administrator for Region 1. Even so, Optum Serve doesn’t decide your eligibility; your VA health care team does, and the VA says you must get a referral before making an appointment with a community provider.
Outpatient Mental Health Care a VA Referral May Cover
If your VA care team refers you for outpatient mental health treatment with us, the authorization will spell out what’s approved. Our programs include:
- Partial hospitalization (PHP): our mental health PHP provides full-day programming five days a week; most clients finish in about 8 to 12 weeks.
- Intensive outpatient (IOP): our mental health IOP meets three days a week for three-hour group sessions while you live at home, typically for about 5 to 6 weeks.
- Psychiatric evaluation and medication management, plus individual, group and family therapy.
Evidence-based care for PTSD
The VA’s National Center for PTSD says the trauma-focused talk therapies with the most research support are cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure (PE) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and that most of these therapies last about three months. We offer CPT, along with CBT and DBT. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that psychotherapy can be used alongside medication or as an alternative to it. Read more about PTSD in veterans and cognitive processing therapy.
How to Check Your VA Community Care Network Coverage
- Talk with your VA primary care or mental health provider. If you’re already using VA care, the VA suggests asking your provider to help you make an appointment.
- Ask whether you qualify for community care, especially if drive or wait times are a problem.
- Get your referral before scheduling, and ask exactly which services it covers.
- Contact our team. We’ll help you verify your insurance or VA referral and explain next steps.
If you also have employer or private coverage, see your mental health parity rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does VA Community Care Network cover mental health treatment for PTSD?
It can, if you’re eligible and your VA care team refers you. PTSD is one of the conditions the VA treats, and community care can fill gaps in access.
Do I need a referral for community mental health care?
Yes. Except in certain urgent or emergency cases, the VA must approve and refer you before you see a community provider.
What if I can’t get a VA mental health appointment within 20 days?
You may qualify for community care under the VA’s wait-time standard. Ask your VA care team.
Can the VA refer me for substance use treatment, too?
Yes, with the same process. See VA Community Care Network rehab coverage.
Get Mental Health Help in Lancaster, PA
If you’re a veteran in crisis, call 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, which the VA describes as private, free and available 24/7, or call 911 in an emergency. The Ranch Pennsylvania Outpatient Services offers mental health treatment in Lancaster for veterans across Lancaster County and central Pennsylvania. We accept VA Community Care Network coverage, and care depends on VA authorization. Verify your insurance or referral to get started. Our admissions team is available 24/7, and calls are free and confidential.
