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Due in part to your advocacy efforts, has reportedly confirmed, in coordination with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), that providers who received recoupment notices related to 2024 claims will not be required to repay the alleged overpayments.

Following outreach from affected providers and veterans, Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) announced that his office worked directly with the VA Community Care Network, the Office of Integrated Veteran Care, and Optum to advocate for a swift and equitable resolution. As a result of those discussions, Rep. Bean's office received confirmation from the VA that Optum would discontinue its recoupment efforts. While some providers initially received verbal assurances, several have now reportedly received written confirmation from Optum stating that the recoupment actions have been withdrawn.

Optum and Rep. Bean's office also acknowledged that some providers continued to receive collection notices after the issue had been resolved. According to Optum, these notices were the result of implementation timing and administrative processing. Providers who received those letters are expected to receive written confirmation from Optum confirming that they are not responsible for repaying the disputed claims.

As a next step, the ÀÖ²©´«Ã½Government Affairs and Public Policy team is contacting impacted providers to verify that they have received written confirmation from Optum. We are also coordinating meetings with key congressional offices, including Rep. Bean's office, to gain a better understanding of how this resolution was achieved and discuss legislative and administrative solutions that can help prevent similar issues from arising in the future. By building on this successful outcome, ÀÖ²©´«Ã½will continue advocating for greater transparency, accountability and protections for counselors participating in the VA Community Care Network.

If you would like to become involved in ÀÖ²©´«Ã½advocacy efforts, please contact us at advocacy@counseling.org.