Becoming a VA Community Care Home Care Provider
Join the VA Community Care Network through Optum or TriWest, or sign a Veterans Care Agreement, to deliver Homemaker and Home Health Aide care to veterans.
By Caregiver Scheduling Team ·
To get paid by the VA for home care, join the Community Care Network (CCN) through the administrator for your region, Optum in Regions 1 to 3 or TriWest in Regions 4 and 5, then accept referrals from your local VA medical center. The main program for non-medical agencies is Homemaker and Home Health Aide care. The VA authorizes specific services and hours, and you bill the network administrator against that authorization.
Which VA programs pay for non-medical home care?
Mainly Homemaker and Home Health Aide (H/HHA) care, with in-home respite as a second line. Both are delivered by community agencies under contract, not by VA staff.
| Program | What it covers | Who delivers it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homemaker and Home Health Aide care | Help with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, mobility and shopping, supervised by a registered nurse | Agencies under contract with VA | VA Geriatrics |
| Home respite care | A paid aide in the home so the family caregiver can take a break | Agencies under contract with VA | VA Respite Care |
| Veteran Directed Care | A budget the veteran manages to hire their own workers, often family | The veteran, with a counselor | VA Veteran Directed Care |
H/HHA is open to enrolled veterans of any age who meet the clinical criteria and qualify for community care, where the service is available locally. A copay may apply based on the veteran’s service-connected disability status; the VA handles that, not you. Veteran Directed Care is a different model: the veteran is the employer, so agencies rarely bill it.
How do you join the Community Care Network?
Contact the third-party administrator for your region and start enrollment. The VA runs CCN through five regional networks, each managed by one administrator.
| Region | Covers | Administrator |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina | Optum |
| 2 | Midwest, including Illinois, Michigan and Ohio | Optum |
| 3 | Southeast, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands | Optum |
| 4 | Western states, Texas, Hawaii, Pacific territories | TriWest |
| 5 | Alaska | TriWest |
Before you apply, have the basics in place: a state home care license where your state requires one (see do I need a license?), an NPI (see does a home care agency need an NPI?), liability and workers’ comp insurance, and background checks on staff. Credentialing takes weeks to months, so apply before you need the revenue.
Once you are in the network, introduce your agency to the community care office at the nearest VA medical center. Referrals come from the facility, not from Optum or TriWest, and the social workers there decide which agencies they call.
What if the network doesn’t need another agency?
Ask the VA medical center about a Veterans Care Agreement (VCA). VA uses VCAs when CCN cannot provide the needed service or enough of it. The steps:
- Contact the nearest VA medical facility, which decides whether a VCA is needed.
- Complete the credentialing assessment through the VA’s credentialing contractor and upload licensure and insurance documents.
- Sign VA Form 10-10171. An approved VCA stays active for three years.
- Receive referrals, usually through HealthShare Referral Manager, and bill VA directly.
VA does not pay for care delivered before the agreement is signed.
How do authorizations and billing work?
Every veteran arrives with an authorization for a service, a number of hours and a date range. Deliver inside it. Hours beyond the authorization are not paid, and the VA will not backdate approval because a family asked for more.
- CCN clients: file claims with the administrator named on the authorization, Optum for Regions 1 to 3 and TriWest for Regions 4 and 5, per the VA’s provider claims page.
- VCA clients: file claims with VA according to the referral.
- Documentation: visit records with times and tasks that match the authorization. Keep RN supervision notes for H/HHA.
Track remaining hours per authorization every week, not at the end of the period. See home care authorization tracking and the Medicaid waiver tool for how the same discipline applies to state programs.
What should you plan for?
- Rates are set for you. You accept the network’s rate; there is no negotiation per client.
- Payment is slower than private pay. Build 30 to 60 days of cash cushion for VA receivables.
- Authorizations lapse. Renewals go through the VA facility, and gaps mean unpaid visits.
- Verification requirements vary. Some contracts specify how visits are verified; read yours.
- Referrals follow relationships. The agency that answers the phone and takes the hard case on Friday gets the next three referrals.
How Caregiver Scheduling handles this
On Growth and up, each client’s authorized hours are checked as you schedule and you’re warned before a week would exceed them, so VA hours stay inside the approval. Geofenced GPS check-in and check-out create a visit record with times, caregiver and tasks that backs up every claim. Timesheets and invoices from the same verified visits are coming soon. $199/month for up to 10 caregivers or $299/month for up to 50, free for 30 days.
FAQ
Does the VA pay for non-medical home care? Yes, through Homemaker and Home Health Aide care and in-home respite for eligible enrolled veterans, delivered by contracted community agencies.
Do I contact Optum or TriWest? Optum for CCN Regions 1 to 3 (East, Midwest and Southeast); TriWest for Regions 4 and 5 (West and Alaska).
How long does credentialing take? Usually weeks to months. A Veterans Care Agreement, once approved, stays active for three years.
Can I bill the VA directly instead of going through a network? Only under a Veterans Care Agreement or another VA authorization. CCN claims go to the regional administrator.