Posted on Jan 17, 2023
VA Announces Free Emergency Health Care for Veterans in Suicidal Crisis
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If you’re a Veteran in acute suicidal crisis or if you know someone who is, you now have greater access to intensive help, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced this month.
Veterans determined to be in acute crisis can now get up to 30 free days of inpatient care and/or up to 90 free days of outpatient care whether or not they’re enrolled in VA. VA will cover the costs of services delivered by either a VA or non-VA provider and related emergency transportation expenses.
The policy, which took effect January 17th, 2023, is for Veterans “at imminent risk of self-harm” based on the assessment of trained health care providers or crisis responders. VA interprets the term “trained crisis responder” to include Veterans Crisis Line counselors and first responders such as police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services professionals.
“This expansion of care will save Veterans’ lives, and there’s nothing more important than that,” Denis McDonough, VA secretary, said in a news release.
The expanded care for eligible Veterans is authorized by section 201 of the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment (COMPACT) Act of 2020.
VA published an interim final rule on Jan. 17 interpreting that section and further defining what’s covered, which includes:
• Providing, paying for, or reimbursing the costs of treatment for emergency suicide care, emergency transportation, and follow-up care, including up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care and/or 90 days of outpatient care.
• Determining which other benefits and services Veterans are eligible for.
• Making referrals for further care and for other VA programs and benefits following emergent suicide care.
Veterans eligible for the benefits include those who:
• Served on or were released from active duty after more than 24 months and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
• Served in the armed forces (including reserves) for more than 100 days under a combat exclusion or for a direct or unmanned aerial vehicle support for a contingency operation and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
• During service in the armed forces survived a physical assault of a sexual nature, a battery of a sexual nature or sexual harassment.
Broad definition of imminent risk and type of care
In the interim rule, VA doesn’t specify which behaviors or statements are necessary to indicate that someone is at imminent risk of self-harm.
Such determinations can “vary greatly based on a totality of circumstances and information as assessed by the trained crisis responder or health care provider,” VA says in the rule. “We will not regulate, however, that an individual must communicate any particular language, or that their behavior must meet any particular parameters, or that they must have any type of diagnosis to indicate that they are in acute suicidal crisis.”
As long as it’s clinically necessary, VA also broadly defines what’s considered emergent suicide care. For instance, VA says most Veterans may need both inpatient care to be stabilized and outpatient care to prevent relapse and address the effects of the initial crisis.
“Therefore,” it says in the rule, “VA will not regulate outpatient care to be solely available as an alternative to inpatient or crisis residential care, as we envision nearly all individuals in acute suicidal crisis will require some level of emergent suicide care on an inpatient basis to be followed by care on an outpatient basis.”
Additional resources for Veterans in crisis
VA noted that this action follows other efforts to prevent and end Veteran death by suicide, including a new rule to lower or eliminate copays for Veterans at risk of suicide: https://rly.pt/3iSSLfE
Find and share these additional mental health and suicide prevention resources:
• Call or share the Veterans Crisis Line number, which is 988 and press 1.
Learn more:
• Read the interim final rule, which provides more details about the coverage, eligibility and more: https://rly.pt/3kjdYzT
• Read the VA news release from Jan. 13: https://rly.pt/3WhqUDO
Veterans determined to be in acute crisis can now get up to 30 free days of inpatient care and/or up to 90 free days of outpatient care whether or not they’re enrolled in VA. VA will cover the costs of services delivered by either a VA or non-VA provider and related emergency transportation expenses.
The policy, which took effect January 17th, 2023, is for Veterans “at imminent risk of self-harm” based on the assessment of trained health care providers or crisis responders. VA interprets the term “trained crisis responder” to include Veterans Crisis Line counselors and first responders such as police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services professionals.
“This expansion of care will save Veterans’ lives, and there’s nothing more important than that,” Denis McDonough, VA secretary, said in a news release.
The expanded care for eligible Veterans is authorized by section 201 of the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment (COMPACT) Act of 2020.
VA published an interim final rule on Jan. 17 interpreting that section and further defining what’s covered, which includes:
• Providing, paying for, or reimbursing the costs of treatment for emergency suicide care, emergency transportation, and follow-up care, including up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care and/or 90 days of outpatient care.
• Determining which other benefits and services Veterans are eligible for.
• Making referrals for further care and for other VA programs and benefits following emergent suicide care.
Veterans eligible for the benefits include those who:
• Served on or were released from active duty after more than 24 months and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
• Served in the armed forces (including reserves) for more than 100 days under a combat exclusion or for a direct or unmanned aerial vehicle support for a contingency operation and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
• During service in the armed forces survived a physical assault of a sexual nature, a battery of a sexual nature or sexual harassment.
Broad definition of imminent risk and type of care
In the interim rule, VA doesn’t specify which behaviors or statements are necessary to indicate that someone is at imminent risk of self-harm.
Such determinations can “vary greatly based on a totality of circumstances and information as assessed by the trained crisis responder or health care provider,” VA says in the rule. “We will not regulate, however, that an individual must communicate any particular language, or that their behavior must meet any particular parameters, or that they must have any type of diagnosis to indicate that they are in acute suicidal crisis.”
As long as it’s clinically necessary, VA also broadly defines what’s considered emergent suicide care. For instance, VA says most Veterans may need both inpatient care to be stabilized and outpatient care to prevent relapse and address the effects of the initial crisis.
“Therefore,” it says in the rule, “VA will not regulate outpatient care to be solely available as an alternative to inpatient or crisis residential care, as we envision nearly all individuals in acute suicidal crisis will require some level of emergent suicide care on an inpatient basis to be followed by care on an outpatient basis.”
Additional resources for Veterans in crisis
VA noted that this action follows other efforts to prevent and end Veteran death by suicide, including a new rule to lower or eliminate copays for Veterans at risk of suicide: https://rly.pt/3iSSLfE
Find and share these additional mental health and suicide prevention resources:
• Call or share the Veterans Crisis Line number, which is 988 and press 1.
Learn more:
• Read the interim final rule, which provides more details about the coverage, eligibility and more: https://rly.pt/3kjdYzT
• Read the VA news release from Jan. 13: https://rly.pt/3WhqUDO
Veterans Affairs (VA)
Suicide
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