The short answer
On September 8, 2026, VA stopped requiring precertification before community providers deliver care that's already authorized. The VA Precertification Portal is offline. Nothing else about authorization changed: care still has to stay within the Veteran's referral and Standardized Episode of Care, and anything outside it still needs a Request for Service. VA says claims and payment aren't affected.
What changed?
VA dropped one extra step. VA's precertification page says: effective September 8, 2026, VA no longer requires precertification before providing authorized care for Veterans. The VA Precertification Portal (VAPP) is offline.
What was precertification?
It was a notice step VA added for community providers in 2026. For services on a VA list of billing codes, providers had to log in to the precertification portal and get a precertification ID before the date of service, even though the Veteran already had an authorization. VA had announced that claims without a precertification ID would start being denied in September 2026. VA ended the requirement before that happened.
What stayed the same?
Almost everything else. VA's page tells providers to:
- Keep delivering care as authorized under the Veteran's referral and Standardized Episode of Care (SEOC).
- Use the Request for Service (RFS) process for care the authorization or SEOC doesn't cover.
- Expect no change to claims or payment.
So the authorization still controls what VA pays for. Precertification was an extra check on top of it. Removing it didn't widen what's covered.
What does this mean for Veterans?
Mostly fewer delays. If your provider was waiting on a precertification ID before a procedure or test that's already in your authorization, they don't need it anymore.
What you still need to watch:
- Your authorization letter and its end date. See Your Authorization Letter.
- New services your provider wants to add. Those still need an RFS. See Why Your Authorization Doesn't Cover Everything.
What does this mean for providers?
- Stop sending precertification requests. The portal is offline.
- Check the referral and SEOC before each service, as before.
- Send an RFS, VA Form 10-10172, for additional visits, new specialties, or services outside the SEOC. See How Community Providers Request More Care.
- For questions, VA says to contact your third-party administrator: Optum for Regions 1 to 3, or TriWest for Regions 4 and 5.
A common misunderstanding
"Precertification ended" doesn't mean "authorization ended." A provider still can't go beyond the referral and SEOC and expect VA to pay. If you hear otherwise from a provider's office, point them to VA's precertification page and the RFS process.