{"id":71849,"date":"2022-09-22T14:57:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T14:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:33:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:33:04","slug":"va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/","title":{"rendered":"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans Affairs officials will look at including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/06\/23\/va-telehealth-options-here-to-stay-secretary-vows\/\" target=\"_blank\">patients\u2019 access to telehealth services<\/a> as part of their eligibility for outside care programs, a move that could dramatically change what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/09\/06\/private-sector-medical-care-may-not-be-faster-or-cheaper-than-va-care\/\" target=\"_blank\">community care options<\/a> are available for veterans in coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Supporters say the move is a common sense response to how healthcare is delivered in the wake of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\">the coronavirus pandemic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But department critics charge that the real goal is to force more patients to stay in the VA medical system, rather than giving them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2018\/04\/11\/vets-groups-and-lawmakers-say-theyre-against-it-but-what-does-privatization-of-veterans-affairs-really-mean\/\" target=\"_blank\">better options in the private sector<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/06\/private-sector-medical-care-may-not-be-faster-or-cheaper-than-va-care\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/veteran-va-hospital-600.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Private sector medical care may not be faster or cheaper than VA<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The analysis says more data is needed to monitor the value of the fast-growing outside care options for veterans.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In testimony before the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee on Wednesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/09\/16\/defense-va-leaders-renew-calls-to-prevent-suicides-in-new-message\/\" target=\"_blank\">VA Secretary Denis McDonough<\/a> said no decisions have been made yet on how those telehealth options will be factored in and emphasized that no changes in eligibility standards are being made now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he said officials are considering unveiling new standards in coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI intend to carefully consider and propose such a change,\u201d he told lawmakers. \u201cWe\u2019re finding more and more veterans getting care by telehealth, and we want to be able to update the access standards in that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to do it consistent with the law and consistent with getting good public input.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonough disputed accusations that his administration is trying to dismantle the community care program, noting that the department approved 33 million appointments outside of the VA medical system in fiscal 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNobody\u2019s trying to limit a veteran\u2019s access to the best available care,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The secretary\u2019s comments come at a time when VA community care programs are again coming under scrutiny because of their availability to veterans and cost to the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under current program rules, veterans who are enrolled in department health care can visit a private sector physician with VA picking up the cost if they meet certain criteria. They include facing lengthy wait or travel times for department care, or if VA does not provide a specific type of medical service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The idea is to ensure that veterans receive medical care as soon as possible, even if VA physicians aren\u2019t directly providing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before Congress approved the MISSION Act (which eased those eligibility standards for outside care) about 25% of all medical appointments paid for by VA were handled outside the department\u2019s system. That percentage rose to more than 29% from March 2021 to February 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An analysis by the RAND Corporation found the budget for that outside care more than doubled from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2021, when spending topped $18.5 billion. The fiscal 2023 budget calls for it to increase even higher, to about 23% of all Veterans Health Administration spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2018\/04\/11\/vets-groups-and-lawmakers-say-theyre-against-it-but-what-does-privatization-of-veterans-affairs-really-mean\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"215\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_13102205629.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Vets groups and lawmakers say they\u2019re against it \u2014 but what does \u2018privatization\u2019 of Veterans Affairs really mean?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The term will command much of the debate at the new VA secretary&#039;s confirmation hearing, but different groups have different definitions.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats and Republicans for years have argued whether increasing those outside appointments more equates to improving choice for veterans or slowly undermining the VA medical system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several Democratic senators at the hearing noted that outside physicians do not need to meet the same wait time and quality standards as VA clinics, calling into question whether veterans are getting better or worse care outside the VA system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Factoring VA\u2019s telehealth options into eligibility standards could complicate the fight even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The year before the coronavirus pandemic, the department averaged fewer than 20,000 online remote medical appointments a month. By the end of 2021, in response to face-to-face precautions put in place to limit the spread of the virus, that number had jumped to more than 800,000 a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA officials have pledged to make those remote medical appointments a permanent part of their future care plans. But whether expanded access to online appointments will make veterans ineligible for a taxpayer-funded, in-person meeting with outside physicians remains to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/06\/23\/va-telehealth-options-here-to-stay-secretary-vows\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5622977.jpg_3dc886.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">VA telehealth options here to stay, secretary vows<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Use of online medical appointments among VA patients skyrocketed during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis could be a way that VA could manipulate numbers and prevent veterans from seeking care outside of VA,\u201d said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. \u201cWe have veterans who like to receive care in person, so that is a concern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonough told committee members that is a key issue that officials need to consider when reviewing the community care changes. He did not offer a timeline on when a proposal would be made public, but promised close coordination with lawmakers before it is released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Expanding community care was a major priority of former President Donald Trump\u2019s administration and Republican lawmakers when they controlled the House and Senate. If GOP leaders win back control of either chamber in November, it will likely mean more challenges for VA leaders to propose any new limits on outside care options for veterans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Department leaders are looking into whether eligibility rules for outside care should change if online medical appointments are available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":105844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[61,101,23,89,12,26,62,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3222],"class_list":["post-71849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronavirus","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"QJLE2AGZU5ERDFZGR2RFO5CIDQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Department leaders are looking into whether eligibility rules for outside care should change if online medical appointments are available.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Department leaders are looking into whether eligibility rules for outside care should change if online medical appointments are available.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-09-22T14:57:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T14:33:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-09-22T14:57:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T14:33:04+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 742,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates\",\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                \"Veterans\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2022-09-22T14:57:59+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T14:33:04+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Department leaders are looking into whether eligibility rules for outside care should change if online medical appointments are available.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2022\\\/09\\\/22\\\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options - Navy Times","description":"Department leaders are looking into whether eligibility rules for outside care should change if online medical appointments are available.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options","og_description":"Department leaders are looking into whether eligibility rules for outside care should change if online medical appointments are available.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2022-09-22T14:57:59+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T14:33:04+00:00","author":"Leo Shane III","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leo Shane III","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options","datePublished":"2022-09-22T14:57:59+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T14:33:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/"},"wordCount":742,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Coronavirus | COVID-19 Updates","Daily News Roundup","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress","Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/","name":"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-09-22T14:57:59+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T14:33:04+00:00","description":"Department leaders are looking into whether eligibility rules for outside care should change if online medical appointments are available.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2022\/09\/22\/va-telehealth-appointments-may-complicate-vets-community-care-options\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"VA telehealth appointments may complicate vets\u2019 community care options"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6310054526_0274d7335b_o.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71849"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71862,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71849\/revisions\/71862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71849"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=71849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}