CHAMPVA EFT for Providers: Enrollment, Payment Holds, and Updates

Quick answer

CHAMPVA providers must be enrolled in Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to receive VA payment for covered services. VA deposits approved payments directly into the provider's bank account rather than issuing a paper check.

For a new enrollment or a banking/payment-account update, use the VA Financial Services Center Customer Engagement Portal and complete the electronic VA Form 10091, VA-FSC Vendor File Request Form. VA's current provider guidance states that paper VA Form 10091 submissions are no longer accepted for provider vendorization.

If a CHAMPVA Explanation of Benefits shows CARC 299 / RARC N24 — Payment requires EFT enrollment, VA says the payment may be held because the provider is not enrolled in EFT. Enroll in EFT; do not resubmit the claim.

EFT is a payment setup requirement. It does not make a provider part of a CHAMPVA network, determine whether a service is covered, change the CHAMPVA allowable amount, or replace the normal claim-submission process.

Why CHAMPVA provider payments require EFT

VA's current family member care provider guidance says providers must be enrolled in EFT to receive payment for services under VA family member health care programs, including CHAMPVA.

VA's broader provider payment guidance states that federal law requires medical and dental provider payments to be made electronically. The federal payment rule in 31 CFR § 208.3 generally requires federal agency payments to be made by electronic funds transfer, subject to the exceptions in that regulation.

This is separate from 38 CFR § 17.275, which addresses how CHAMPVA determines allowable reimbursement amounts for different categories of covered services. In other words:

• CHAMPVA payment methodology determines the allowable amount.
• EFT enrollment determines how VA sends an approved provider payment.

For more background on CHAMPVA reimbursement, see ValorWell's CHAMPVA allowable amount guide.

How to enroll a provider in EFT

1. Go to the VA Financial Services Center Customer Engagement Portal

Use the official Customer Engagement Portal (CEP). The portal's Payment Account Setup and Updates function is used for both:

• first-time payment account setup; and
• updates to an existing VA payment account.

The portal identifies the underlying webform as VA Form 10091.

2. Sign in through the VA portal

VA's current provider vendorizing instructions state that an ID.me account is needed to submit the digital VA Form 10091 through CEP. The CEP routes users through AccessVA for sign-in.

3. Choose the correct request type

Use the form for either:

• New Vendor when the provider/payment account is not yet established with VA; or
• Update Existing Vendor when banking or other vendor-file information needs to change.

For a medical practice or clinician being set up for provider payment, complete the provider and payment information requested by the portal. Have the organization's identifying information and the bank account information for ACH/EFT available before starting.

4. Submit the form electronically

VA's current provider vendorizing FAQ says paper VA Form 10091 submissions are no longer accepted for this workflow. Submit the form through the secure CEP.

5. Monitor the contact email for the vendor-file ticket

VA's provider vendorizing guidance says the Nationwide Vendor File Team sends correspondence to the point-of-contact email listed on the request. Those messages include a tracking ticket that begins with VCOM.

Watch that inbox for:

• confirmation that the request was received;
• requests for validation or corrections; and
• notice that the ticket is resolved and closed.

How long EFT enrollment can take

VA's current provider vendorizing FAQ says provider vendorization generally takes 15–30 days and tells providers to allow 30 days for processing. Because processing time can vary, set up EFT before an expected payment becomes urgent.

If more than 30 days have passed without an initial Vendor File Team email, the same VA guidance directs providers to contact VA-FSC Customer Engagement.

For help with CEP, vendor-file status, reactivation, or medical-payment questions:

VA-FSC Customer Engagement
Phone: 877-353-9791
Option 3: Medical Claims, CEP Questions and Reactivations
Email: vafsccshd@va.gov

These contact details were rechecked against the current VA Financial Services Center portal on September 22, 2026.

What to do when a CHAMPVA payment is held for missing EFT

VA's family member claim denial-code guidance identifies:

CARC 299 / RARC N24 — Payment requires EFT enrollment

When this code appears, VA says payment may be held because the provider is not enrolled in EFT.

Use this workflow:

1. Do not resubmit the claim. VA specifically instructs providers not to resubmit for this EFT payment hold.
2. Complete EFT enrollment through the Customer Engagement Portal.
3. Monitor the Vendor File Team email for any validation or correction request.
4. If enrollment has already been submitted and the payment remains held, contact VA-FSC Customer Engagement to check the vendor/payment-account status.
5. After EFT is established, continue to use the normal CHAMPVA claim-status and EOP process to determine whether any separate claim issue remains.

Repeatedly submitting the same claim can create duplicate-claim problems without fixing the payment account.

EFT enrollment is different from filing a CHAMPVA claim

A provider's claim can be submitted electronically or by mail. VA's current CHAMPVA provider page accepts:

• HIPAA-compliant 837 electronic claims through the VA clearinghouse; or
• provider paper claims mailed to the CHAMPVA claims address.

EFT is different. It controls how an approved provider payment is delivered.

That means a provider may choose an accepted paper claim route and still need EFT enrollment to receive payment. For mailing requirements, see ValorWell's paper CHAMPVA claims guide.

What EFT enrollment does not do

EFT setup does not:

• enroll the practice in a CHAMPVA provider network—CHAMPVA does not use a medical provider network;
• establish beneficiary eligibility;
• provide preauthorization for a service;
• guarantee that a submitted service is covered;
• determine the CHAMPVA allowable amount;
• resolve missing claim data, coding errors, other-health-insurance issues, or other denial reasons; or
• replace an 837 claim, a paper claim, or a 276/277 claim-status inquiry.

For the larger billing workflow, use ValorWell's CHAMPVA Provider Quick-Start Guide.

EFT troubleshooting checklist for billing staff

If payment is delayed, separate the payment-account problem from the claim problem.

If the EOB shows CARC 299 / RARC N24

• Complete or correct EFT enrollment.
• Do not resubmit the claim solely because of this code.
• Contact VA-FSC if the vendor-file request is already pending or completed.

If banking information changed

Use CEP's Payment Account Setup and Updates workflow and select the appropriate update request. Do not assume that changing banking information in another VA system automatically updates the VA-FSC vendor payment record.

If the vendor-file request is pending

• Check the point-of-contact email entered on the request.
• Look for the VCOM ticket number.
• Respond promptly to any validation or correction request.
• Contact VA-FSC Customer Engagement if the request has exceeded the current published processing guidance.

If the claim is unpaid but there is no EFT code

Check the EOP/EOB and claim status before assuming EFT is the problem. A claim can be delayed or denied for reasons unrelated to the payment account, including missing information, other health insurance, filing or coding issues, or coverage rules.

Provider EFT setup checklist

Before your billing office considers the EFT task complete, confirm that:

• the provider/payment account has been submitted through the official CEP;
• the correct new-or-update request was used;
• the point-of-contact email is monitored;
• any Vendor File Team validation request has been answered;
• the vendor-file ticket is resolved;
• updated banking information is submitted when the account changes; and
• staff know that CARC 299 / RARC N24 should be fixed through EFT enrollment rather than claim resubmission.

Keeping EFT setup separate from claim submission makes it easier to diagnose why an otherwise payable CHAMPVA claim has not produced a deposit.