The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that it is proposing to eliminate copayments for all VA telehealth services and establish a grant program to fund designated VA telehealth access points in non-VA facilities, with a focus on rural and medically underserved communities.

These proposed changes would advance VA and the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to lower costs and expand access to care for all those who served. The proposed grant program, called Accessing Telehealth through Local Area Stations (ATLAS), would provide funding to organizations — including nonprofits and private businesses — to offer Veterans comfortable, private spaces equipped with high-speed internet access and the technology to meet with VA providers remotely. Grants would also provide designated funding to train on-site personnel to support the program.

These proposed changes are part of VA’s ongoing efforts to expand access to VA health care — at a time when VA care is outperforming non-VA care, earning Veteran trust at record rates, and delivering more appointments than ever before. In September, VA announced the availability of tele-emergency care nationwide, an important step in increasing timely access to emergency care. This year, VA also began waiving Veterans’ copays for their first three outpatient mental health care visits of each year, decreased wait times for new patient appointments to primary care and mental health, and expanded offerings of night and weekend clinics and increased the number of Veterans scheduled into daily clinic schedules.

“Waiving copays for telehealth services and launching this grant program are both major steps forward in ensuring Veterans can access health care where and when they need it,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough. “VA is the best and most affordable care in America for Veterans — with these steps, we can make it easier for Veterans to access their earned VA health care.”

The rulemaking can be viewed in the Federal Register under public inspection, and will be published and open for a comment period (findable by searching for the rule on VA’s Federal Register webpage). VA anticipates a notice of funding opportunity for this grant program to be published following publication of the final rule.

For more information about VA telehealth, visit the VA Telehealth Services website.

To view the proposal on the Federal Register, visit Federal Register :: Telehealth Grant Program

Pennie, Pennsylvania’s Health Insurance Exchange has announced that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients can enroll in health coverage through Pennie. See below for details.

What is happening?

• Effective, November 1, 2024, DACA recipients will no longer be excluded from the definition of lawfully present and, assuming they meet all other eligibility requirements, will be eligible to enroll in health coverage through Pennie and receive financial savings.
• A Special Enrollment Period (SEP) will begin November 1, 2024, allowing DACA recipients 60 days to enroll in coverage through Pennie. When enrolling, the SEP “Gain of Eligible Immigration Status” should be used.
• DACA recipients who enroll in Pennie in November will have a coverage effective date of December 1, 2024.   DACA recipients who enroll in Pennie in December will have a coverage effective date of January 1, 2025.

 How You Can Help:

• When DACA recipients come to enroll in Medicaid coverage and denied due to their status, encourage them to go to Pennie where they can find quality and affordable health coverage at visit pennie.com.
  • DACA recipients will be denied Medicaid, the updated eligibility requirements only apply to State Based Health Insurance Marketplaces like Pennie
• IMPORTANT NOTE:  These recipients will not be automatically transferred to Pennie if/when found ineligible for Medicaid.
• For questions, call Pennie Customer Service at +1-844-844-8040

The USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Telecommunications Program is excited to announce the launch of the new Public Searchable Map Database!

This new resource provides the public a fully searchable database that contains information on all retail broadband projects provided assistance, or for which assistance was sought, in the United States, US Territories, and Compacts of Free Association (COFA) sovereign states under the RUS Telecommunications Program.

We encourage you to visit the Public Searchable Map Database and start exploring its functionality, including the advanced Search Filters and downloadable Results Table.

Please Note: The Public Searchable Map Database will be replacing the Telecommunications Program Funded Service Areas Map and the ReConnect Proposed and Approved Projects Map. Any applications that are not approved for funding will be removed from the Public Searchable Map Database.

Please submit any questions using the Contact Us Form.

– Comments due December 6. The Advisory Commission on Additional Licensing Models has released draft preliminary recommendations for public comment. These recommendations are intended to aid interested state medical boards and policymakers in developing new licensing pathways for internationally trained physicians. The recommendations, which focus on eligibility requirements, are available for feedback until December 6, 2024, with final guidance expected in early 2025.

For the calendar year 2023 reporting period, eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) were required to use 2015 Edition Cures Update certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) to meet the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program requirements.  CAHs may apply for a Hardship Exception if complying with this requirement results in significant hardship.  CAHs may submit their application electronically  or contact the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality Service Center (CCSQ) Service Center at (866) 288-8912 to complete a verbal application.