APA has filed a comment on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Proposed Rule RIN 2900-AQ30opens in new window and Proposed Rule RIN 2900-AR31opens in new window, Modifying Copayments for Veterans at High Risk for Suicide. This rule seeks to eliminate copayments for inpatient care, outpatient care, and prescriptions for those veterans at “high risk” of suicide. As recent statistics in the 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (PDF, 645KB)opens in new window have shown, veterans suicide remains near all-time highs and reducing the financial burden of care might help this population. With the input of APA’s Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service)opens in new window, APA Services seeks to ensure the final rule reflects the needs of the more than 6,000 psychologists serving at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
While broadly supportive of this rule, the comment jointly filed by APA Services and Division 18 recommended that the VA study the impact of eliminating these copayments to ensure to move doesn’t bring unintended consequences. The proposed changes could, for example, result in veterans being flagged as high risk for suicide longer than clinically necessary. Such a change may also further strain the workforce available to administer treatment (frontline providers) and monitor high-risk veterans (suicide prevention coordinators).
The full comment on this proposed rule will soon be made available on the Regulations.gov pageopens in new window. The comment period closed on March 7, 2022.
For more information, contact Corbin Evans.