Fewer Renewals, Less Red Tape: VA Streamlines Community Care

On August 4, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a major update that could make community care less of a hassle for tens of thousands of veterans. Instead of needing a reauthorization every 90 to 180 days, VA will now grant year-long community care authorizations for 30 standardized specialties. This means one full year of uninterrupted care under the VA’s Community Care or Community Care Network (CCN) before a referral needs renewal.

Some specialties affected include cardiology, dermatology, mental health outpatient care, pain management, orthopedic spine, optometry, oncology, sleep medicine, and rehabilitation services. Previously, veterans often faced red tape and delays when needing to renew authorizations mid-treatment.

Why It Matters for Disabled Veterans …

• Continuity of Treatment: For chronic conditions (PTSD, diabetes, chronic pain, physical rehab, etc.), having to pause or renegotiate care every few months disrupts healing. A full year’s authorization means fewer treatment gaps.
  
• Reduced Administrative Burden: Disabled veterans often contend with extra paperwork, extra travel, or extra dependency on caregivers. Fewer renewals means fewer trips to the VA office, fewer phone calls, fewer hold times.
  
• Flexibility and Trust: Some veterans avoid community care because they are unsure if referrals will be renewed. Knowing you’ll have uninterrupted care for 12 months builds confidence.
  
• Resource Predictability: Veterans and community providers alike can plan better — knowing that care won’t be cut off unexpectedly helps with financial and logistical planning (transportation, accommodations, assistive devices, etc.).

What Changed and What Before Looked Like …

• Old Process: Many VA-authorized community care referrals required renewal every 90 to 180 days. That meant ongoing scrutiny, approvals, and potential delays even if the specialty wasn’t changing.

• New Rule: Now, for 30 specialties, once VA approves them for community care, the authorization is valid for 12 months. Veterans won’t need to request repeat authorization during that year.

• Who It Applies To: These standardized specialties include a broad mix — multiple mental health outpatient services, surgical specialties, cancer care, orthopedics, eye care, and rehab disciplines. Veterans in those categories will see the biggest benefit.

Voices from the Scene

“No Veteran should have their health care disrupted by red tape,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins when announcing the change. “This change means better continuity of care, which leads to better health outcomes. It also improves convenience for Veterans and cuts administrative work for VA staff and community care partners.”

Veterans who’ve been through frequent renewals are already speaking up about what this could mean: A veteran coping with chronic back pain shared: “Just when I’m in the middle of managing care with a community provider, I’d get called back for reauthorization. Sometimes that delay meant waiting weeks, taking more pain, more travel — this one-year thing changes a lot.” (anonymous veteran recount, in Military.com’s reporting)

What Veterans Should Do Next

• Check Your Specialties: If you are using or plan to use community care in any of the 30 specialties, check with your VA facility to see if your care qualifies for the new one-year authorization.

• Talk with Providers Early: Let your community care provider know about this change — it might help reduce delays in referrals now that authorizations last longer.

• Document Your Care: If you’ve previously faced delays, keep records. These can be useful if problems continue or if appeals are needed.

• Stay Informed of Exceptions: Some cases might still require renewals outside of the 30 specialties or due to changing medical needs — make sure you understand when yearly authorization applies and when it might not.

Final Thoughts …

This change may seem administrative, but for disabled veterans, it could be transformative. Less red tape, fewer interruptions, more certainty — that’s not a small win. It’s the kind of change that respects the lived reality of recovery, rehabilitation, and long-term care.

The VA’s move to extend community care authorizations to a full year is well overdue. It shows VA is listening — today’s step matters, but veterans deserve to see that commitment carried through fully, clearly, and fairly.

For more veteran-centered healthcare policy updates and real stories, visit DisabledVeterans.org.