VA Fee Schedule
VA reimburses hospital care, medical services and extended care services up to the maximum allowable rate. Generally, the applicable Medicare rate published by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). When there is no Medicare rate available, VA reimburses the lesser of the VA Fee Schedule or billed charges. When there is no Medicare rate available, the VA Fee Schedule sets the maximum allowable rate for Community Care Network (CCN) providers. When neither a Medicare nor VA Fee Schedule rate is available, third-party administrators (TPAs) reimburse a percentage of billed charges.
Please note:
- A drug, device, procedure or service that is assigned a procedure code and a payment rate under the VA Fee Schedule does not imply coverage. It only indicates how the product, procedure or service may be paid if covered by the program.
- Alaska providers have unique considerations covered below.
- Dental reimbursement rates are proprietary and not publicly available.
- Reimbursement rates are subject to change annually and more often if required. Check this page regularly to find the latest rates, and sign up for the VA Provider Advisor newsletter to be informed of rate updates.
VA calculates rates using a combination of VA claims data, Medicare policies and fee schedules, Medicaid fee schedules, TRICARE fee schedules and industry benchmarking data. For more information on how rates are set, please reference the March 2024 Federal Register Notice, Methodology for Reimbursing Medical Services, Extended Care Services, Pharmaceuticals, and Durable Medical Equipment Not on Medicare Fee Schedules.
Federal Register Notice2025 Fee Schedule
The 2025 VA Fee Schedule linked below is effective for services from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.
CY25 VA Fee Schedule-All Payers
Which rate applies to me?
- Open the CY25 VA Fee Schedule-All Payers file above.
- Identify the service to include modifier (if applicable).
- Identify the Medicare locality and carrier for the location where services were rendered.
- Providers needing assistance with identification of locality and carrier information are encouraged to refer to the appropriate CMS locality and carrier key available at the CMS.gov website.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Identify the setting in which care was rendered
- For care rendered in a facility setting, refer to the ‘Yes’ column for reimbursement rate.
- For care rendered in a setting other than a facility, refer to the ‘No’ column for reimbursement rate.
Alaska Providers
Certain community services provided to Veterans in the state of Alaska are subject to specific fee schedules. These account for the unique cost of providing care in that geographic area.
CCN is the preferred national network for purchasing care for Veterans in the community. Care referred to CCN in Alaska is billed to and paid by TriWest, a VA regional third-party administrator. Care referred outside of CCN is billed to and paid by VA.
Please refer to the VA referral for information on how the Veteran's care was referred and where to submit claims. Schedules and payment rates may be impacted depending on whether the care was approved through CCN. Please refer to the terms of your contract for information related to schedule usage.
VA will increase the amounts on the VA Alaska Fee Schedule annually in accordance with the published national Medicare Economic Index. For those years where the annual average is a negative percentage, the fee schedule will remain the same as the previous year.
2025 Alaska Professional Fee Schedule (Effective for services on or after January 1, 2025)
2025 Alaska VA Fee Schedule (Effective for services on or after January 1, 2025)
Community Nursing Home (CNH) Fee Schedule (effective October 1, 2023)
The VA CNH Fee Schedule follows the Prospective Payment System (PPS) billing requirements found in "Chapter 6–Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Inpatient Part A Billing and SNF Consolidated Billing," Medicare Claims Processing Manual, with some exceptions. This includes VA paying the lesser of billed charges or the CNH Fee Schedule, the interrupted stay policy and enhanced payments for HIV/AIDS. Exceptions are listed below.
Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 6
Exceptions:
- VA will use the Patient Driven Payment Model-based (PDPM) pricing software using the following specifications:
- CNH day 1-100: multiply physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), speech language pathology (SLP), nursing, and non-case-mix components by 0.93 in addition to any other adjustment factors.
- CNH day 101+: remove PT, OT, and SLP components (or set adjustment factor to 0). Multiply nursing and non-case-mix components by 1.25.
- The non-therapy ancillary component will follow PDPM (3.0 for the first three days, 1.0 for CNH day 1-100, and 1.25 for CNH day 101+).
- No special service pricing exists outside of VA PDPM-based PPS for services such as bed hold, memory care, behavioral, HIV/AIDS, respite, ventilator, tracheostomy, and isolation/private room.
- VA does not participate in the sequestration, quality reporting, or in the value based program.
- VA covers some services under CNH authorizations that are not considered part of the nursing home PPS, listed below. Nursing homes are required to submit separate claims for these services.
- Physician services: Providers delivering federally mandated or separately authorized services shall bill fee-for-service. The services will be reimbursed at the lesser of billed charges or the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Nursing facilities are required to make claims on behalf of the physician, unless the physician has a Veterans Care Agreement with VA.
- PT, OT and SLP: When PT, OT or SLP therapy is required during days 101+ of a Veteran’s stay, providers must get prior authorization from VA. When care is delivered on days 101+ of a Veteran’s stay, providers will bill fee-for-service using the following procedure codes: G0151, G0152, G0153, G0157, G0158, G0159, G0160, G0161. The services will be reimbursed at the lesser of billed charges or the VA Fee Schedule.
- Escort services: When an escort to a medical appointment is indicated, providers must get prior authorization from VA. Providers will bill fee-for-service using the following procedure code: G0156. The services paid will be the lesser of billed charges or the VA Fee Schedule.
Historical Fee Schedules
2024 Fee Schedules
- CY24 VA Fee Schedule-All Payers (For services from February 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024)
- 2024 Alaska Professional Fee Schedule (For services from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024)
- 2024 Alaska VA Fee Schedule (For services from February 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024
2023 Fee Schedules
- CY23 VA Fee Schedule-All Payers (For services from February 1, 2023 through January 31, 2024)*
- 2023 Alaska Professional Fee Schedule (For services from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023)
- 2023 Alaska VA Fee Schedule (For services from February 1, 2023 through January 31, 2024)*
- 2023 Community Nursing Home Fee Schedule
*VA adjusted the yearly fee schedule update cycle to ensure rate settings consider comprehensive data from other sources. Beginning in 2023, the fee schedule cycle runs February 1 to January 31. To accommodate the adjustment, the CY22 VA Fee Schedule–All Payers service dates will run through January 31, 2023.
2022 Fee Schedules
- CY22 VA Fee Schedule–All Payers (For services from January 1, 2022 through January 31, 2023)
- 2022 Alaska Professional Fee Schedule (For services from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022)
- Alaska – Maximum Allowable Charge (MAC) (Effective January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022)
2021 Fee Schedules
- CY21 VA Fee Schedule–All Payers (For services from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021)
- CCN R5 Alaska Professional Fee Schedule (For services from January 1, 2021 to May 31, 2021)
- CCN R5 Alaska Professional Fee Schedule (For services from June 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021)
- Non-CCN R5, Veterans Care Agreement Alaska Professional Fee Schedule (For services from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021)
- Alaska Professional Fee Schedule (For services from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021)
- Alaska Maximum Allowable Charge List (Effective January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021)
VA Fee Schedule Data Definitions
- Facility: The service is performed in a facility setting (i.e., hospital, ambulatory or surgical center)
- Facility type: A hospital or other institution where outpatient and inpatient services are performed
- Locality Description: Name of locality place of service (e.g., city, county)
- Medicare Carrier: The identification number assigned by CMS to a carrier (Medicare Administrative Contractor) authorized to process claims from a physician or supplier
- Medicare Locality: The identification number assigned by CMS to a locality used to identify where care is rendered
- Non-Facility: The service is performed in a non-facility setting (i.e., physician’s office or outpatient clinic)
- Procedure: Current Procedural Terminology/ Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System Industry standard codes used to identify specific surgical, medical, or diagnostic intervention
- Procedure Code Modifier: Supplemental information or adjust care descriptions to provide extra detail concerning a procedure or service
- Rate: Reimbursement amount based on where care is rendered
Contact Us
TriWest Customer Service: 877-226-8749
Optum Customer Service:
CCN Region 1: 888-901-7407
CCN Region 2: 844-839-6108
CCN Region 3: 888-901-6613
VA Customer Service: 877-881-7618
Resources
- CMS Fee Schedules
Link to current and historical CMS fee schedules. - Find VA Locations
Resource for locating the nearest VA facility.