VA awards Community Care Network management contracts

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently awarded contracts to manage provider networks in three regions of the country as part of its roll out of the new VA Community Care Network under the VA MISSION Act of 2018, which allows VA to purchase care for veterans from community health providers. Optum Public Sector Solutions will manage the regional networks for 15 Northeastern states in Region 1; 13 Midwestern states in Region 2; and 11 Southern states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in Region 3. “These contract awards reflect our ongoing commitment to increasing Veterans’ access to care,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “As part of the VA’s modernization efforts, we designed the new network based on feedback from Veterans and other stakeholders, along with lessons learned from the Veterans Choice Program. We are confident this new network will greatly improve customer service for Veterans and timeliness of payments to community providers.” VA plans to award contracts for remaining regions of the country later this year.