The Department of Veterans Affairs has finalized a rule for VA clinicians to provide medical services to former military personnel with the use of virtual technology.
VA said Friday the Authority of Health Care Providers to Practice Telehealth will override state telehealth laws and licensing restrictions that prevent healthcare providers from delivering care to veterans.
The federal rule is meant to expand veterans’ access to mental healthcare and suicide prevention support virtually.
Robert Wilkie, acting secretrary of the VA, said that implementing the policy is critical to the department’s ‘Anywhere to Anywhere’ initiative.
The White House’s Office of American Innovation and the Justice Department collaborates with the VA to implement the rule.
Providers can use the VA Video Connect application and other telehealth tools to serve patients nationwide, including those who stay in the veteran’s home.
