NAAOP Webcast: Submit Comments to Protect Veterans’ Choice of Practitioner

The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) has released a webcast in which General Counsel Peter Thomas, JD, requests that comments be submitted to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opposing the VA’s proposed rule to eliminate the choice veterans with amputations have in selecting a VA prosthetist/orthotist or a private, VA-contracted prosthetist/orthotist. As currently drafted, the proposed rule could erode veterans’ access to appropriate, timely, and convenient O&P care, according to Thomas. The deadline for comments is December 15.

For more than 50 years, the VA has contracted with private practitioners to provide timely and quality O&P care to veterans with limb loss. The VA issued the proposed rule in October that would reverse this long-standing VA practice by insisting that the administration has the sole authority to determine if a veteran can receive care from a private, VA-contracted O&P practitioner. The proposal runs counter to the key tenets of the Veterans Choice Program, which allows veterans to access VA-funded health care services in the private sector, according to NAAOP.

To submit comments, visit www.regulations.gov/comment?D=VA-2017-VHA-0023-0003. 

The webcast is posted on the NAAOP website on NAAOP’s YouTube channel as well as oandp.com, shared with members via email, and made available via the NAAOP Facebook page.