HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Tuesday marked the beginning of community health care delivery to local Veterans under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contract awarded to Optum Public Sector Solutions, Inc., part of UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

“The new Community Care Network (CCN) contract awards reflect our ongoing commitment to increasing Veterans access to care,” said VA Secretary Robert L. Wilkie, “and were designed based on feedback from veterans and other stakeholders.”

“We are confident it will greatly improve care coordination for local veterans here in West Virginia and improve the timeliness of payments to our local community providers,” said Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center director Brian Nimmo.

TriWest Health Care Alliance has been managing VA’s community care network in the area and will fully transition responsibility to Optum over the next 30 days. VA community providers contracted by TriWest will not be automatically enrolled in CCN, so they will be required to sign up with Optum to continue providing services to Veterans under CCN.

VA’s new community care network is made up of six regions. Region 1 includes Connecticut; Delaware; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Vermont; Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and West Virginia. VA is deploying this new network in phases to ensure continuity of care coordination. Veterans will continue to receive care from their current community providers during the transition.

The new network serves as the direct link between VA and local health care providers providing a standard contract vehicle for VA to purchase care. Optum will manage the network and process claims for payment to local providers on behalf of VA.

All military Veterans are encouraged to enroll in the VA Health Care System. To begin the process, please complete an Application for Health Care Benefits. To find more information on how to register for benefits, please visit: https://www.huntington.va.gov/patients/eligibility.asp