VA care at Mandala
If you get your health care through VA, you can see some of our acupuncturists and massage therapists with a VA referral, and you pay nothing at our front desk. This page walks through how that works, who you can see, and what to do when a referral runs out.
Mandala Medicine is an independent clinic. We are a community provider in the VA Community Care Network, which is administered in Oregon by TriWest Healthcare Alliance; we are not part of VA. VA decides who qualifies and what is approved. We take it from there.
Who you can see with a VA referral
Acupuncture: Lindsey Rockwell, LAc, Jake Rockwell, LAc, Al Reed, LAc, Stephanie Berzon, LAc, and Beth Hazzard, LAc, LMT.
Massage therapy: Maco Monthervil, LMT and Dawn Larned, LMT.
Beth Hazzard is a massage therapist too, but VA referrals to her are for acupuncture. Our other massage therapists, physical therapy, naturopathic medicine, and counseling are not covered through VA Community Care at Mandala.
VA covers acupuncture and massage therapy when your VA care team decides they are clinically necessary for your condition.
How to use your VA benefits here
- Talk to your VA care team. Ask your VA primary care provider whether acupuncture or massage therapy would help with your condition, and ask for a referral to community care.
- Wait for VA to approve the referral. VA checks whether you qualify for community care. That review can take up to 14 days. Please do not book with us until VA contacts you with your approved referral.
- Ask for Mandala by name. Tell VA which of our in-network acupuncturists or massage therapists you want to see. VA can schedule the visit for you, or you can call us at 503-758-9760 and book it yourself. If you book with us directly, let VA know within 14 days.
- Keep your authorization letter. VA mails you a letter with your referral number, the provider you are approved to see, the care that is approved, and the dates it covers.
- Come to your first visit. VA sends us your relevant records. Bring your authorization letter, a photo ID, and any imaging we ask for. You pay nothing at our front desk.
- Keep track of your visits. Your referral covers a set number of visits within a set date range. We keep count with you, and if you need more care we can ask VA for more visits before the referral runs out.
- Any copay comes from VA, not from us. Depending on your VA eligibility, VA may bill you a copay, the same as it would for care at a VA clinic. Never pay a copay to Mandala. If you ever receive a bill from us for VA-approved care, call the VA Community Care Contact Center at 877-881-7618.
What to bring to your first visit
- Your VA authorization letter (the referral number is on it)
- A photo ID
- Any imaging or reports we asked for when you booked
There is nothing to pay at the desk for VA-approved care.
When your referral runs out
Referrals for acupuncture and massage are usually written for a short course of visits within a date range, and VA can approve more if the care is helping. Before your last approved visit, we can send VA a Request for Services asking for more visits or a longer window. VA makes the decision.
VA will not cover visits beyond what your authorization allows, so we will not book you past it. If your referral has already lapsed, call your VA care team or the VA Portland Community Care Team (below) and ask for a new one before your next visit.
Who qualifies
Only VA decides, and you need to be enrolled in VA health care first. The common routes are: VA cannot provide the service in a way that meets its standards or does not offer it at your facility; the wait or drive to a VA facility is longer than VA's access standard (for specialty care, 28 days or 60 minutes); or you and your VA provider agree that community care is in your best medical interest. Ask your VA care team which applies to you.
Questions about your referral
Call the VA Portland Health Care System Community Care Team at 360-759-1674. For bills from community providers, eligibility, or reauthorization, the VA Community Care Contact Center is 877-881-7618, weekdays 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern.
In crisis? Dial 988, then press 1, text 838255, or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day, for veterans and service members, enrolled in VA or not.
For questions about booking, call our front desk at 503-758-9760 or use the contact page.
Questions
Yes. VA has to approve community care before your first visit. Ask your VA care team for a referral and wait until VA contacts you with the approved referral before you book.
TriWest Healthcare Alliance runs VA's Community Care Network in Oregon, Washington, and much of the West, and pays community providers like us for VA-approved care. Your referral still comes from VA, and your VA care team is still the place to ask about it.
Not at our front desk. Depending on your VA eligibility, VA may charge a copay, the same as at a VA clinic, and VA bills you for it directly. If you get a bill from a community provider for VA-approved care, call 877-881-7618.
It depends on your referral. Your authorization letter lists the approved care and the dates it covers. Acupuncture and massage referrals are often written for a short course of visits to start, and VA can approve more if the care is helping.
We can send VA a request for more visits, ideally before your referral ends, and VA decides whether to approve it. You can also ask your VA care team for a new referral. VA will not cover visits beyond what your authorization allows, so we will not book you past it.
Yes, as long as they are in VA's network. At Mandala that is Lindsey Rockwell, Jake Rockwell, Al Reed, Stephanie Berzon, and Beth Hazzard for acupuncture, and Maco Monthervil and Dawn Larned for massage. Tell your VA care team who you would like to see so the referral names them.
