The VA’s FY 2022–2028 Strategic Plan is built on four guiding principles – Access, Advocacy, Outcomes, and Excellence – and sets ambitious goals for modernization and service delivery by 2028:
- Deliver timely, accessible, and high-quality benefits, care, and services.
- Improve communication with Veterans and partners to strengthen trust and performance.
- Build and maintain trust among Veterans, caregivers, and survivors.
- Pursue operational excellence to improve satisfaction, accountability, and security.
To achieve these goals, the VA emphasizes stronger partnerships with community providers and health systems. As the plan notes, “The MISSION Act is driving the evolution of VHA’s role as a healthcare payor as well as a provider for millions of Veterans nationwide.”
Key priorities shaping the next five years
The VA’s focus areas for 2025–2030 include:
- Suicide prevention and homelessness reduction among Veterans.
- Expanded access to behavioral health, including treatment for PTSD, depression, and substance use.
- Targeted outreach to rural Veterans – especially around maternity, OB-GYN, and women’s health services.
- Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, building trust with underserved populations such as women, Veterans of color, LGBTQ+ Veterans, and those with disabilities.
- Technology modernization through telehealth, connected care, and adoption of emerging tools like AI, robotics, and genomics to personalize care delivery.
Oversight and policy on capitol hill
Congress continues to maintain close oversight of the VA, which operates with one of the largest federal budgets (exceeding $300 billion in FY2025). Lawmakers are scrutinizing both the agency’s infrastructure and its pace of technology adoption. Several bills introduced since 2023 seek to redefine how community care operates:
- The Veterans Health Care Freedom Act – would, if enacted, expand Veterans’ ability to access care through community and covered care systems.
- The Making Community Care Work for Veterans Act (2023) – proposes stricter access timelines (48 hours for urgent care; 7 days for non-urgent) within the Community Care Network.
- The RELIEVE Act – aims to reimburse Veterans for emergency treatment at non-VA facilities during their first 60 days of enrollment, even if they haven’t yet received VA care.
As of October 2025, these remain legislative proposals under review, not enacted laws.
Financial and administrative updates
The 2024 VA disability compensation rates, effective December 1, 2023, reflected a 3.2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) based on Social Security’s annual update. A similar inflation-linked increase is anticipated for 2025 rates.
The VA currently serves approximately 9.1 million enrolled Veterans nationwide – just under 3% of the U.S. population – making it one of the largest integrated healthcare systems in the world.
Challenges and opportunities for providers
Working with the VA offers hospitals and health systems tremendous opportunity – but also administrative and financial challenges. Common obstacles include:
- Complex filing and authorization requirements
- Rigid deadlines and documentation standards
- Frequent claim denials or rejections
- State-by-state regulatory variations
- Limited internal bandwidth to manage specialized claims
Because of these complexities, VA and CCN claims often fall behind other payers, despite representing meaningful revenue potential. Even if VA claims comprise only a small percentage of a hospital’s revenue, that share can equal millions in recoverable funds.
How EnableComp supports providers
At EnableComp, we act as your “VA department down the hall.”
We bring decades of expertise in VA and federal payer reimbursement, jurisdiction-specific regulations, and Community Care billing requirements. From patient eligibility and authorizations to referrals, coding, and appeals – our team ensures providers are reimbursed fully and compliantly.
We understand the VA. More importantly, the VA knows and respects us – which is how we get results for our clients and the veterans in their care.
Are you prepared for the VA’s next chapter? Schedule a consultation to ensure your organization is positioned to succeed in this rapidly evolving environment.
