Montana VA Health Care System

Project ARCH (Access Received Closer to Home) was introduced August 29, in Billings, Mont. It is intended to improve access for eligible Veterans by connecting them to health care services closer to their homes. Through Project ARCH, Veterans will gain local convenience without sacrificing high quality care.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Montana Health Care System (MTHCS) launched Project ARCH, or Access Received Closer to Home, providing area Veterans with a new option for health care services.  This three-year pilot project allows eligible Veterans to receive care through a non-VA health care provider who has contracted with VA.

Project ARCH was introduced August 29, in Billings, Montana.  It is intended to improve access for eligible Veterans by connecting them to health care services closer to their homes. Through Project ARCH, Veterans will gain local convenience without sacrificing high quality care.  VA will ensure that participating Veterans' treatment is closely coordinated between the contracted provider (Humana Veterans Healthcare Service) and VA, so Veterans in the program experience seamless, high quality health care.

Billings is one of five VA sites selected for the three-year pilot project which will continue through fiscal year 2014.  VA has allocated more than $1 million for Project ARCH through the remainder of this fiscal year (September 30).

Veterans are eligible to participate in the program if they both reside in a location where one of the five Project ARCH pilot sites are located AND are enrolled in the VA health care system when the program starts.  In addition, the law requires participating Veterans meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Live more than 60 minutes drive time from the nearest VA health care facility providing primary care services, or
• Live more than 120 minutes drive time from the nearest VA health care facility providing acute hospital care, or
• Live more than 240 minutes drive time from the nearest VA health care facility providing tertiary care

Project ARCH will have a positive impact on the provision of Orthopedic Services for Montana area Veterans.  Currently, there are 176 Veterans waiting for orthopedic surgery in the VAMTHCS area. Additional actions taken by VA to address Veterans' surgical needs continue to successfully reduce the number of Veterans waiting for surgery. They include: 

• The VA Rocky Mountain Network 19 provided additional resources to the VAMTHCS.
• An orthopedic surgeon from the VA medical center in Cheyenne, WY, is scheduled to perform surgeries at Fort Harrison in mid-September.
• VA continues to send Veterans and referrals to other VA facilities in the region for orthopedic surgery.  The Grand Junction VA Medical Center is currently scheduled to perform surgeries through the end of December.
• VAMTHCS officials have also announced the selection of an orthopedic surgeon who is slated to begin working part-time in November/December, then full time in January 2012.

Any Veteran who meets the Project ARCH eligibility criteria and wishes to participate should discuss the program further during their next primary care clinic visit at a VAMTHCS clinic. For additional information about Project ARCH or for information about Project ARCH eligibility, please contact Carrie Walby, Project ARCH program support assistant, at 406-447-6820.