NEW VA Policy - Coordinated Care for Traveling Veterans

[sdianel_-acct_c]

I just found online that in 2015 the VA changed their policy for traveling veterans. Here's the new policy: Hope it helps veterans get care if they are traveling. The way I understand it, you contact your Primary Care Physician (PCP) at your home VA office and they send a referral to the Traveling Veteran Coordinator at your home location and they in turn contact a counterpart at the secondary location. We haven't used it yet so if anyone does, let us know. I know you can go to any VA hospital for emergency treatment or enroll there but maybe this is easier??
2.8. Coordinated Care for Traveling Veterans
Coordinated Care for Traveling Veterans

The VA in 2015 has initiated a traveling Veterans program. Traveling Veterans are Veterans who are enrolled in the VA Healthcare System and plan to spend extensive time away from their primary residence and preferred VA facility near their home.

Traveling Veteran Categories:

Veterans planning on traveling seasonally to a location away from their primary residence.
Veterans planning an extended trip away from their primary residence or preferred VA facility.
Veterans while on extended travel from home, will need continuation of their medical care, medication refills, or prosthetic equipment.
Veterans who plan to seek medical care from a different VA facility away from their primary residence or preferred VA facility while traveling.
The VA medical facility closest to the Veteran's primary residence is called the Veteran's preferred facility. The VA facility away from the Veteran's home is known as the Veteran's alternate VA facility. The reason for the alternate facility is either due to extended time that the Veteran will be away from their primary residence or from complex clininical needs that are only provided by specific VA Medical Facilities. An example of such a scenario would be a Veteran living in Philadelphia, PA who is enrolled in the Philadelphia, PA VA medical center. The Philadelphia VA medical center would be the Veteran's preferred VA facility. The Philadelphia Veteran spends 6 months a year in Florida. The Tampa, Florida VA medical center would be the Philadelphia Veteran's alternate VA facility for the 6 months that the Veteran is visiting Tampa, Florida.

The program is implemented via the Traveling Veteran Coordinators (TVC) located at VA Medical Centers. The Traveling Coordinators replace the Referral Case Managers. TVC' must be a Registered Nurse, Physician Assistant, or Licensed Independent Practitioner.

The process begins when the Veteran notifies their Primary Care Practitioner (PCP) or the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) of the Veteran's travel plans. It is important to give as much advance notice of your departure date as possible. The PCP or PACT will send a referral to the TVC. The TVC will arrange for VA medical services at your alternate VA medical facility.

It is vital that you make sure that your TVC has the correct temporary address and telephone number(s) so that your medication refills can be sent to your temporary address. Always stay in touch with your traveling coordinator. Make sure that your TVC is aware of your return date to your preferred or home VA medical facility. Contact your TVC for unanticipated health care needs that arise while you are away, prosthetic device issues, medication issues, or other problems while you are away.

Traveling Veterans will not be assigned to a PACT, Patient Aligned Care Team, at the alternate VA medical facility. Veterans at their home or preferred VA medical facility who have multi-PACT assignments or dual assignments might not be considered for the traveling Veteran program. Clinical assessment and approval of muti-PACT assignments for the Veteran is required for the traveling program. Exceptions to the one PACT rule for the traveling program are:

Veterans with spinal cord injury and disorders (SCI&D) who are receiving highly complex care at two VA facilities of SCI&D, or
If the Veteran requires complex primary care management and receives care between two VA facilities of residence (example: south in winter and north in summer).

[Yellowboat_]

I hope that it works. I have secure messaging with my PCP. So far I haven't needed treatment while traveling. We don't usually stay in one place for more than a month.

I just ended physical therapy through the Seattle VA Hospital. They were a great help. While sitting in the PT office I overheard a number of conversations where the schedulers were assigning veterans to the Veterans Choice Program. They told veterans to wait five to seven days to call for the choice program and if there were problems call the PT department back.

I don't know how it all worked out or long it will take for the Veterans to get a civilian appointment.

Safe travels. JD

[sdianel_-acct_c]

This new policy was just enacted in April 2015 so I don't see that it's been tested. As I understand it, each time you need care (not emergency care) you can contact your primary care physician and he will send a referral to the TVC who will expedite your care in any temp location. In other words it sounds like the temp location can be one location for snowbirds and many locations for those who travel more. we'll see....

[Gale_Hawkins]

This sounds like a step in the right direction. Some VA regions seem to have heavier patient loads. Appointment time wait seems to be short to get services at the St. Louis hospital but much longer to get an appointment for a clinic in the Nashville hospital for example.

I think the VA is an example of government ran health care services for better or for worse. I have found the VA to be a solid health care option and selected it over Medicare.

One thing that helped me mentally was if I have a 15 minute appt I still block out the ENTIRE day. 🙂

[chuckbear]

Often now these "new programs" are nothing more than publicity stunts and smoke and mirrors to try and show the VA making improvements. Just reading this, it become apparent that it is going to be difficult and complicated for most of us and the "traveler" will get little unless you regularly go to one place, stay there for a longer period of time, and then go home. For the true traveler, like many here are, it will be of no use. Just as with the Veterans Choice program, most will find it routinely denied because the workers in the field know nothing about how it operates or the program is actually set up to not offer the service to 99% of those that apply for it. These programs are also separately funded and as soon as the funds run out, they are no longer available. It would be interesting to hear from anyone that makes this work for them and anyone that has tried to use it and failed. I'm sorry, but I don't have much faith in the "changes" based on my personal past experience. Chuck

[rwj146]

Thanks Lonny, I actually believe the VA is trying to modernize, it just moves with bureaucratic slowness. My Protime tests have been moved to a new program making them easier to get at another location other than my Primary. I haven't tried it but there is always hope.

What I don't get is I have been told they have to get my records sent to the hospital or clinic you use if traveling. With the Premium MyHealtheVet account I can download and either view or print my records from the first day I went to the VA.

I plan on traveling extensively starting in October, I suppose I will find out. Thanks for the heads up.

Semper Fidelis back at you.

Travel Safe Bob J,

[edbehnke]

lonny, this VA change is great.

but the problem I have is I don't stay in any one place long enough to have a 'temp' address. being a full timer we seem to be moving a lot. and in the winter I end up in Mazatlan, mexico.

thank goodness for medicare and bc/bs