Staff Perspective: What Providers Need to Know About the VA's Free Emergency Suicide Care for Veterans
I was recently talking to a civilian community mental health provider, and she asked me if I thought veterans were utilizing mental health care more due to both the VA MISSION Act and the VA COMPACT Act. I thought about it briefly and responded (acknowledging that I had no evidence to support my answer) that it usually takes years for change following laws like these. Then I paused to really think about how much I have heard about either of these veteran-focused acts/laws in my role as a psychologist or as a veteran, and the answer was: not much. So I thought this would be a great topic to share with our community of providers.
For those unfamiliar with them, the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act is a 2018 law that expands community care options for eligible veterans by allowing them to receive VA-approved care in their community (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2019). It addresses access to care issues such as long wait times for appointments and long drive times for veterans to access VA services. It also allows veterans and their referring clinician to have a say regarding if it is in the best interest of the veteran to receive care in the community.
While measuring the long-term impact of the MISSION Act will take time, the immediate need addressed by the COMPACT Act makes it a vital resource for all community providers to know today. The VA Comprehensive Treatment, Prevention & Access to Care (COMPACT) Act is a 2020 law that specifically provides free emergency suicide care at any VA or non-VA facility for eligible veterans experiencing a crisis, regardless of VA enrollment (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2023). It also covers related transportation and follow-up care. Both laws were implemented to address barriers to care that many veterans face.
The VA COMPACT Act was passed in December 2020 and became effective January 2023. The primary goal was to address the critical need of access to care for veterans who are experiencing an acute suicidal crisis by removing financial barriers and by broadening where veterans can seek care (e.g., non-VA facilities). The VA COMPACT Act not only covers emergency suicide care, but it also includes transportation costs as well as inpatient or crisis residential treatment (up to 30 days) or outpatient follow-up care (up to 90 days). It is also important to note that veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA system to receive care under the VA COMPACT Act.
The steps to accessing the care are relatively straightforward. When a veteran is experiencing a suicidal crisis, they should:
- Call 911 or if able, go to the nearest emergency room.
- Notify the staff that they are a U.S. veteran.
- Contact their local VA Medical Center or the VA patient advocate within 72 hours to begin the process for payment and care coordination.
Although CDP is not directly related to either veteran-related acts, we do serve an important role in training community providers. We offer extensive training and educational materials that are specifically designed for behavioral health providers so that they have the skills, understanding, and resources needed to work with military connected patients, to include veterans.
In addition to more general training focused on improving military cultural awareness, CDP also offers more in-depth training focused specifically on managing suicide risk (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention, Lethal Means Safety Counseling, etc.). Check out our website where you can find upcoming training events, provider resources, military culture resources, and much more.
It takes a community to help support those who have served. We hope you can be part of that community!
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Lisa French, Psy.D., is the Chief of Operations at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
Reference:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2019, June 6). VA launches new health care options under MISSION
Act. VA News.
https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-launches-new-health-care-options-under-mission-act/
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023, January 13). Starting Jan. 17, Veterans in suicidal crisis can
go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for free emergency health care. VA News.
https://news.va.gov/press-room/starting-jan-17-veterans-in-suicidal-crisis-can-go-to-any-va-or-non-va-
health-care-facility-for-free-emergency-health-care/
I was recently talking to a civilian community mental health provider, and she asked me if I thought veterans were utilizing mental health care more due to both the VA MISSION Act and the VA COMPACT Act. I thought about it briefly and responded (acknowledging that I had no evidence to support my answer) that it usually takes years for change following laws like these. Then I paused to really think about how much I have heard about either of these veteran-focused acts/laws in my role as a psychologist or as a veteran, and the answer was: not much. So I thought this would be a great topic to share with our community of providers.
For those unfamiliar with them, the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act is a 2018 law that expands community care options for eligible veterans by allowing them to receive VA-approved care in their community (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2019). It addresses access to care issues such as long wait times for appointments and long drive times for veterans to access VA services. It also allows veterans and their referring clinician to have a say regarding if it is in the best interest of the veteran to receive care in the community.
While measuring the long-term impact of the MISSION Act will take time, the immediate need addressed by the COMPACT Act makes it a vital resource for all community providers to know today. The VA Comprehensive Treatment, Prevention & Access to Care (COMPACT) Act is a 2020 law that specifically provides free emergency suicide care at any VA or non-VA facility for eligible veterans experiencing a crisis, regardless of VA enrollment (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2023). It also covers related transportation and follow-up care. Both laws were implemented to address barriers to care that many veterans face.
The VA COMPACT Act was passed in December 2020 and became effective January 2023. The primary goal was to address the critical need of access to care for veterans who are experiencing an acute suicidal crisis by removing financial barriers and by broadening where veterans can seek care (e.g., non-VA facilities). The VA COMPACT Act not only covers emergency suicide care, but it also includes transportation costs as well as inpatient or crisis residential treatment (up to 30 days) or outpatient follow-up care (up to 90 days). It is also important to note that veterans do not need to be enrolled in the VA system to receive care under the VA COMPACT Act.
The steps to accessing the care are relatively straightforward. When a veteran is experiencing a suicidal crisis, they should:
- Call 911 or if able, go to the nearest emergency room.
- Notify the staff that they are a U.S. veteran.
- Contact their local VA Medical Center or the VA patient advocate within 72 hours to begin the process for payment and care coordination.
Although CDP is not directly related to either veteran-related acts, we do serve an important role in training community providers. We offer extensive training and educational materials that are specifically designed for behavioral health providers so that they have the skills, understanding, and resources needed to work with military connected patients, to include veterans.
In addition to more general training focused on improving military cultural awareness, CDP also offers more in-depth training focused specifically on managing suicide risk (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention, Lethal Means Safety Counseling, etc.). Check out our website where you can find upcoming training events, provider resources, military culture resources, and much more.
It takes a community to help support those who have served. We hope you can be part of that community!
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Lisa French, Psy.D., is the Chief of Operations at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.
Reference:
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2019, June 6). VA launches new health care options under MISSION
Act. VA News.
https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-launches-new-health-care-options-under-mission-act/
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023, January 13). Starting Jan. 17, Veterans in suicidal crisis can
go to any VA or non-VA health care facility for free emergency health care. VA News.
https://news.va.gov/press-room/starting-jan-17-veterans-in-suicidal-crisis-can-go-to-any-va-or-non-va-
health-care-facility-for-free-emergency-health-care/