Veterans Choice Program (VCP) for Drug or Alcohol Rehab

Veterans Choice Program Eligibility
To use the VCP, veterans had to meet certain conditions, including being enrolled in VA healthcare and one of the following:2
- The VA wasn’t able to schedule an appointment within 30 days.
- If the driving distance between your house and the nearest VA with a full-time primary care doctor is more than 40 miles.
- The nearest VA wasn’t accessible unless you traveled by boat, ferry, or air.
- Traveling to the nearest VA created an excessive burden due to geographical, environmental, or medical issues.
- There was no full-service VA facility in the state that provided emergency, hospital, and surgical services, and there were no facilities like this within 20 miles of your residence.
Veterans Choice Program FAQs
How Do Prescriptions Work?
- The community provider you see through the VCP can issue a prescription for up to a 14 day supply of a national formulary drug. You may have the 14 day supply filled at any non-VA pharmacy of your choosing.
- Prescriptions can be reimbursed through the Business Office/Non-VA Care Coordination Office at VA facilities. This reimbursement may take 30-45 days to process, and requires a copy of the prescription and the original receipt. Veterans cannot be reimbursed at the VA Pharmacy.
- For prescriptions needed past 14 days, please follow standard procedures to fill a prescription at the VA pharmacy.
Does VCP Affect VA Health Care?
No, not at all. You do not have to choose between the two. The VCP is here to make it easier to access the care you need.
How Much Will Treatment Cost?
You are only responsible for your VA copayment. Your VA copayment will be determined by VA after the care is provided. VA copayments will be billed by VA after the appointment. The MISSION Act may cover several forms of mental health and substance addiction therapy for veterans including:
- Initial screening.
- Detox.
- Individual and group therapy.
- Family/couples counseling.
- Drug therapy.
- Relapse prevention.
Once VA approval is received, the MISSION Act pays for care.3 You may be responsible for copayments, which are billed through the VA.3
Sources
- U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (2019). Veterans Choice Program.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2018). 10 things about the Veterans Choice Program.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2019). Community care.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2019). VA Mission Act.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2019). Veteran community care eligibility.
- Teeters, J.B., Lancaster, C.L., Brown, D.G., & Back, S.E. (2017). Substance use disorders in military veterans: Prevalence and treatment challenges. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, 8, 69-77.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2019). Substance use and military life.
- RAND Corporation. (2019). Improving the quality of mental health care for veterans: Lessons from RAND research.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2018). How common is PTSD in veterans?.
Rehabs That May Accept Veterans Choice Program (VCP) Insurance

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