How to Pay for Rehab with the MISSION Act Community Care Program

What is the MISSION Act Community Care Program?

By allowing Veterans to receive healthcare from community providers, the VA MISSION Act expands access to services that Veterans are otherwise unable to receive through the VA for specific reasons.¹ It was created upon the sunset of the Veterans Choice Program (VCP) in June 2019.^{1, 2, 3} Criteria for eligibility in either program is similar, although some changes were made.^{1, 2}

While the VCP is inactive, Veterans can be “grandfathered” into the MISSION Act, allowing continued receipt of community care benefits.^{1, 2} This applies if they lived more than 40 miles away from the nearest full-service VA facility on June 6, 2018, and still meet this requirement.^{1, 2}

The MISSION Act amends the VCP to benefit more Veterans, such as recalculating the distance based on driving time and shortening the wait time threshold.⁴ It also allows Veterans to utilize community health services without requiring private insurance coverage.

Addiction Treatment and the MISSION Act

The MISSION Act may provide coverage for Veterans with a substance use disorder (SUD). An assessment will be conducted to determine which level of care is appropriate for your addiction rehabilitation needs. If criteria are met, addiction coverage could include:⁵

• Detox: Often the first step in treatment, a period of detoxification allows the body to clear itself of substances. Medications may be provided to help ease withdrawal symptoms. Detox is most effective when followed by additional treatment.
• Inpatient treatment: This is a residential facility that is staffed 24/7. Counseling and therapy are provided in both group and individual settings; psychiatric and other medical care may be provided as needed.
• Partial hospitalization: This relatively intensive outpatient level of care provides many of the benefits of inpatient care without requiring a residential stay; sometimes referred to as day treatment, partial hospitalization programs provide their therapeutic services during the day. Programs can be tailored for those with physical or mental illness and drug or alcohol abuse.
• Outpatient treatment: Relatively less intensive than inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization, standard outpatient programs might entail shorter session durations or fewer sessions per week. Outpatient treatment may be a good fit for people with strong social supports who have completed inpatient treatment or partial hospitalization. When appropriate, an outpatient level of care may help accommodate those who have ongoing responsibilities at work, school, or home.

Program for Veterans

American Addiction Centers (AAC) offers the Veteran program that focuses on the unique needs of Veterans, including service-related mental health challenges. In addition to treatment for drugs and/or alcohol, participants are helped with managing co-occurring mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or anxiety. Participants work with our medical staff to learn how to maintain sobriety and cope with mental health symptoms through a combination of techniques, including:

• Individual/group therapy.
• Family/couples therapy.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
• Eye movement desensitization & reprocessing (EMDR).
• Anger management.
• Expressive or creative arts therapy.
• Pain management.
• 12-step groups.

Veteran Rehab Reviews

How Do I Get Started?

To get started with the MISSION Act, the first step is to make an appointment at the VA, where they will determine if you are eligible.¹ Once you’ve received authorization for community care, you can search for an approved provider, or VA staff can assist you.¹ Then schedule an appointment and notify the VA, who will send your referral to you and the provider.¹ For more information, call or chat with the VA. Watch this video to learn more about navigating Veteran benefits.

How Much Will Treatment Cost?

The MISSION Act pays for services that traditional VA healthcare would cover and may include SUD treatment for eligible and qualified Veterans. SUD treatment coverage may include:

• Medical detox.
• Inpatient treatment.
• Partial hospitalization.
• Outpatient treatment.
• Medication-assisted treatment.

You may have a copay, which is billed through the VA.⁷ If care is determined to be unrelated to service, the VA may also bill your insurance provider.¹ For more information, contact the VA at 877-222-8387. AAC works with many insurance companies. To learn more you can also call our admissions navigators at , to receive more information about accepted insurance providers and treatment options.

The MISSION Act provides expanded coverage for Veterans in specific situations. This may include rehab treatment for Veterans with substance use disorders—ensuring that Veterans can get the care they need to recover from alcohol or drug addiction. Additionally, programs like AAC’s Veteran program allow Veterans to get treatment tailored to their needs. Together, the VA MISSION Act and AAC work to make recovery easier.