The short answer
An authorization is VA's approval for a specific provider to deliver specific services within set dates. Many outpatient mental health authorizations now last up to a year. Anything beyond the authorization needs a Request for Service, VA Form 10-10172, sent to the Veteran's VA Community Care office before the care happens.
What is a VA Community Care authorization?
It's VA's approval for you to treat a specific Veteran for specific services during specific dates. It comes with a referral, usually through HealthShare Referral Manager (HSRM), and an authorization number. You bill against it.
The services come from a Standardized Episode of Care (SEOC), VA's standard package for that type of care. If a service isn't in the SEOC, it isn't authorized.
How long do mental health authorizations last?
Often up to a year. In August 2025, VA announced one-year authorizations for 30 types of care, including Mental Health Outpatient and Family and Couples Psychotherapy Outpatient. A year is the maximum episode of care under 38 CFR 17.4005.
Read each authorization anyway. It can also carry a visit limit.
How do you get more sessions or add a service?
With a Request for Service (RFS), VA Form 10-10172, sent to the Veteran's local VA Community Care office. Use it for:
- More visits or more time.
- A new type of specialist.
- A service not in the original SEOC.
VA's RFS requirements say each request needs your signature, supporting records such as notes and a treatment plan, and one form per request. Incomplete requests are denied. VA says it processes requests within 3 business days.
What changed with precertification?
VA ended its separate precertification process on September 8, 2026. The RFS process didn't change. See What Changed When VA Ended Precertification.
How do you avoid gaps in care?
- Note the end date and any visit limit the day the referral arrives.
- Send the RFS several weeks before either runs out.
- Follow up with the Community Care office if you haven't heard back in a few business days.
- Don't keep seeing the Veteran after the end date without approval. Care outside the authorization may not be paid.
How ValorWell handles this
ValorWell tracks authorizations and handles Requests for Service for its therapists. You provide the clinical justification in your notes and treatment plan, and ValorWell does the paperwork and follow-up with VA. Treatment decisions, including frequency and when a Veteran is ready to stop, stay with you.
If a claim is denied, ValorWell handles it, and it doesn't come out of your pay.
Important limits
- VA decides. No one outside VA can guarantee an extension or a new service will be approved.
- Authorizations are provider-specific. If the Veteran changes therapists, VA has to update the referral.
- Emergencies follow separate rules. If a client is in crisis, use the Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988, then press 1) or emergency services; VA has separate notification rules for emergency care.
- Details vary by facility. Local VA Community Care offices differ in how they communicate.