VA Confirms No Copay for In-Home Video Telehealth
The agency confirmed the direct final rule it issued on this took effect May 7, 2012. It also has approved applications for all 45,000 Veterans Retraining Assistance Program slots available this fiscal year.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has confirmed in the Federal Register that in-home video telehealth care is not subject to copayment requirements.
The agency proposed this change in March 2012 and invited comments; no adverse comments arrived. As a result, the VA says the direct final rule specifying no copays took effect May 7.
Separately, VA announced it has approved applications for all 45,000 Veterans Retraining Assistance Program slots available in FY2012 and is in the process of approving applications for 54,000 slots available in FY2013. "At VA, we know firsthand that veterans make exceptional employees, which is why this administration has deployed a full-court press to connect veterans with good jobs," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "The surge of veterans applying for VRAP demonstrates this program's importance to provide unemployed veterans the opportunity to find employment in high-demand fields."
The goal of VRAP is to train these veterans during the next two years in more than 200 job skills the U.S. Department of Labor has determined are the most sought after by employers.