The short answer
Yes. You can keep your private practice exactly as it is and add Veteran and family clients through a nonexclusive contract arrangement, or by accepting CHAMPVA or joining VA Community Care yourself. A few hours a week is enough to start.
Can a private practice therapist add Veteran clients?
Yes, in two main ways.
Do it yourself, in your practice:
- Accept CHAMPVA. No network to join; you bill as a licensed provider. See How to Start Accepting CHAMPVA.
- Join VA Community Care through Optum or TriWest, and work with VA referrals and authorizations. See How to Join the Community Care Network.
Add contract work alongside your practice:
- Contract with a network that handles credentialing, authorizations, and billing for these programs, and see its clients in a few hours you set aside.
Which approach fits?
| In your own practice | Contract alongside your practice | |
|---|---|---|
| Admin work | You learn and run CHAMPVA and VA billing | Network handles it |
| Rates | Program rates | Contract rates |
| Control | Full | Your schedule and clinical decisions; network's systems |
| Effort to start | Higher | Lower |
| Records | Your system | Network's system |
What should you keep separate?
- Records: document each client in the system that owns their care.
- Calendar: one master view of all sessions to avoid double-booking.
- Malpractice: confirm your policy covers contract work and telehealth.
- Contracts: check your existing agreements for exclusivity terms.
How small can you start?
Very small. A few sessions a week in an evening block is enough to serve several clients well. Starting small lets you learn the population, military culture, and the systems before expanding.
How ValorWell handles this
ValorWell is built for this. The arrangement is nonexclusive, so your private practice stays yours. You set your ValorWell availability and capacity in its EHR, including small schedules of about 1 to 5 sessions a week, and turn new clients on or off whenever you want.
ValorWell handles credentialing, authorizations, billing, and claims for CHAMPVA, VA Community Care, and Foundation-funded clients. You're paid weekly for documented sessions, and denials don't come out of your pay.
Important limits
- Keep practices separate. Don't move clients between your practice and contract work without checking agreements and the client's choice.
- Licensure follows the client. You'll see clients located where you're licensed.
- Referrals vary by state and demand.