For purposes of the Veterans Choice Program under §§17.1500 through 17.1540:

Appointment means an authorized and scheduled encounter with a health care provider for the delivery of hospital care or medical services. A visit to an emergency room or an unscheduled visit to a clinic is not an appointment.

Attempt to schedule means contact with a VA scheduler or VA health care provider in which a stated request by the veteran for an appointment is made.

Episode of care means a necessary course of treatment, including follow-up appointments and ancillary and specialty services, which lasts no longer than 1 calendar year from the date of the first appointment with a non-VA health care provider.

Full-time primary care physician means a single VA physician whose workload, or multiple VA physicians whose combined workload, equates to 0.9 full time equivalent employee working at least 36 clinical hours a week at the VA medical facility and who provides primary care as defined by their privileges or scope of practice and licensure.

Health-care plan means an insurance policy or contract, medical or hospital service agreement, membership or subscription contract, or similar arrangement not administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, under which health services for individuals are provided or the expenses of such services are paid; and does not include any such policy, contract, agreement, or similar arrangement pursuant to title XVIII or XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) or chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code.

Residence means a legal residence or personal domicile, even if such residence is seasonal. A person may maintain more than one residence but may only have one residence at a time. If a veteran lives in more than one location during a year, the veteran's residence is the residence or domicile where the person is staying at the time the veteran wants to receive hospital care or medical services through the Program. A post office box or other non-residential point of delivery does not constitute a residence.

Schedule means identifying and confirming a date, time, location, and entity or health care provider for an appointment.

VA medical facility means a VA hospital, a VA community-based outpatient clinic, or a VA health care center, any of which must have at least one full-time primary care physician. A Vet Center, or Readjustment Counseling Service Center, is not a VA medical facility.

Wait-time goals of the Veterans Health Administration means, unless changed by further notice in the Federal Register, a date not more than 30 days from either:

(1) The date that an appointment is deemed clinically appropriate by a VA health care provider. In the event a VA health care provider identifies a time range when care must be provided (e.g., within the next 2 months), VA will use the last clinically appropriate date for determining whether or not such care is timely.

(2) Or, if no such clinical determination has been made, the date that a veteran prefers to be seen for hospital care or medical services.

(Authority: Sec. 101, Pub. L. 113-146, 128 Stat. 1754; Sec. 4005, Pub. L. 114-41, 129 Stat. 443)

[79 FR 65585, Nov. 5, 2014, as amended at 80 FR 74995, Dec. 1, 2015]