The Veterans’ Emergency Care Fairness Act of 2009 provided payment for veterans enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) care who used a non-VA facility for emergency care, but an internal VA regulation blocked those payments. Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the VA must reimburse for emergency care of veterans at non-VA facilities.
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ACEP Now: Vol 38 – No 10 – October 2019It’s important to identify veterans who are receiving care at a VA facility, plus those who would qualify for care if they enrolled. The eligibility rules are complicated, and the process is not always straightforward. Once enrolled, the veteran can receive many benefits, including pharmacy, home care, and end-of-life care. Many veterans use non-VA emergency departments because of distance or not knowing they are eligible for care. Now that the VA system has been ordered to reimburse emergency departments for this care, it may be reasonable to add questions about veteran status to your patient registration process and encourage identified veterans to check their eligibility with the VA.
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