[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 225 (Friday, November 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69563-69564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27581]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Wait-Time Goals of the Department for the Veterans Choice Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In an interim final rule published by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA) implementing the Veterans Choice Program (``the 
Program'') authorized by the Veterans Access, Choice, and 
Accountability Act of 2014, VA established start dates for 
participation in the Program for different groups of veterans depending 
upon their basis of eligibility to participate in the Program. In those 
regulations, VA stated that veterans who are eligible based upon being 
unable to schedule an appointment within the wait-time goals of the 
Veterans Health Administration, will be able to start receiving 
hospital care and medical services under the Program no later than 
December 5, 2014. VA also stated that if the start date for these 
veterans would be sooner than December 5, 2014, VA would publish a 
notice in the Federal Register advising the public of the faster 
implementation schedule. This Notice announces that November 17, 2014, 
is the start date for veterans eligible to participate in the Program.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin Cunningham, Director, Business 
Policy, Chief Business Office (10NB), Veterans Health Administration, 
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20420, (202) 382-2508. (This is not a toll-free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In an interim final rule published by VA 
implementing the Veterans Choice Program (``the Program'') authorized 
by section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act 
of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-146, ``the Act''), VA established start dates for 
participation in the Program for different groups of veterans depending 
upon their basis of eligibility to participate in the Program. In those 
regulations, at 38 CFR 17.1525(a)(2), VA stated that veterans who are 
eligible under Sec.  17.1510(b)(1), based upon being unable to schedule 
an appointment within the wait-time goals of the Veterans Health 
Administration, will be able to start receiving hospital care and 
medical services under the Program no later than December 5, 2014. In 
Sec.  17.1525(b), VA stated that if the start date for these veterans 
would be sooner than December 5, 2014, VA would publish a notice in the 
Federal Register advising the public of the faster implementation 
schedule. This Notice announces that November 17, 2014, is the start 
date for veterans eligible to participate in the Program under Sec.  
17.1510(b)(1).
    VA was directed to establish the Program to furnish hospital care 
and

[[Page 69564]]

medical services through non-VA health care entities and providers to 
Veterans who either cannot be seen within the ``wait-time goals of the 
Veterans Health Administration'' or who qualify based on their place of 
residence. VA established this Program through an interim final rule 
published in the Federal Register on November 5, 2014. 79 FR 65571. 
This rulemaking created new regulations at 38 CFR 17.1500 through 
17.1540 governing the Program. Section 17.1525 identified the start 
date for veterans to participate in the Program in relation to their 
basis of eligibility for the Program. Specifically, VA stated in 
section 17.1525(a)(1) that VA would begin furnishing hospital care and 
medical services under the Program to veterans whose eligibility was 
based on their place of residence, as defined in section 17.1510(b)(2) 
through (b)(4), on November 5, 2014. We also stated that VA would begin 
furnishing such care and services to veterans who are eligible for the 
Program under Sec.  17.1510(b)(1) based on being unable to be seen 
within the wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration no 
later than December 5, 2014, under Sec.  17.1525(a)(2). As explained in 
the supplementary information of the rulemaking, VA adopted this phased 
approach to implementation to ensure that we have the resources in 
place to support care for eligible veterans. We selected veterans 
eligible to participate based on their place of residence for the 
earlier start date because this population was more easily identified 
and less subject to change over time than those whose eligibility is 
based on being unable to be seen within the wait-time goals of the 
Veterans Health Administration.
    Section 17.1525(b) specifies that if the start date would be 
earlier than December 5, 2014, for veterans whose eligibility is based 
on being unable to be seen within the wait-time goals of the Veterans 
Health Administration, then VA would notify the public by publishing a 
Notice of that start date in the Federal Register. VA has put in place 
the necessary resources to accommodate this population, and effective 
November 17, 2014, VA began making the Program available to these 
veterans.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Jose D. 
Riojas, Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this 
document on November 17, 2014, for publication.

    Dated: November 18, 2014.
William F. Russo,
Acting Director, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of 
the General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014-27581 Filed 11-20-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P