Knowledge Base

Quick Reference Guide (Most Common Questions)

Core InformationValorWell provides online mental health therapy for veterans and their families

• Currently accept CHAMPVA and VA Community Care

• Available nationwide through secure telehealth

• All therapists specially trained in military/veteran care

• Video or phone sessions available

• No upfront costs - direct billing handled with insurance

• Appointments often available within a week

• Message therapists between sessions

• Tricare acceptance expected early 2025

Primary Services

• Individual therapy

• Family therapy

• Couples counseling

• PTSD treatment

• Group therapy (limited availability)

• Specialized military/veteran mental health care

Comprehensive Knowledge Base

1. Services & Coverage

Basic Services

Q: What services do you offer? A: We provide online therapy for veterans and their families, tailored to address the unique challenges of military life.

Q: Is the therapy online only? A: Yes, we provide therapy through secure and confidential online sessions, making it accessible wherever you and the clients are at.

Q: Do you cover all mental health care costs? A: Depends on the situation. For someone that has VA coverage, we just cover the difference in what the VA will pay, compared to the normal market rate. For people who don't have VA coverage, but should, we look at what we need to do to help them get their benefits/coverage, and then we cover the costs for their care while we work with them to get the full coverage they deserve.

Q: What kind of mental health services do you offer? A: ValorWell offers mental health counseling. The ValorWell Foundation will help with that as well as services like psychiatry, speech therapy, and other similar services.

Q: Can veterans from all over the US access your services? A: Yes, our services are available to veterans and their families across the United States.

Q: Do you assist families of veterans too? A: Yes, we support both veterans and their families in accessing necessary services and resources.

Treatment Approaches

Q: What specific types of therapy do you offer? A: All of our therapists are trained in a wide variety of treatment types. They will work with you to determine the best treatment approach is for you.

Q: Do you offer specialized PTSD treatment? A: Of course. All of our therapists are highly trained in working with PTSD treatment.

Q: Do you provide couples/family counseling? A: Yes, we do.

Q: Are there specific programs for different military experiences? A: Every client will have a personalized plan that is specific to their needs.

Q: Do you work with MST survivors? A: Absolutely. All of our therapists are trained to handle these situations.

2. Getting Started

Eligibility & Coverage

Q: Who is eligible for CHAMPVA? A: Family members of veterans who are rated 100% Permanent and Total or who died from service or a service connected injury.

Q: What family members are eligible under CHAMPVA coverage? A: Spouses, children who are under 18 or in college, and any dependent family members.

Q: Are there any age restrictions for patients? A: Each of our therapists makes their own decisions for what ages they feel comfortable with. Many of them will see young children. But some do not. The best thing to do is sign up and see if there is a therapist in your area. We will match you based on age. So if a therapist shows as available, they will see you or your child.

Initial Process

Q: How long does the signup process take? A: The signup process is relatively quick. You can generally get everything completed within a few hours.

Q: What information do I need to have ready when I sign up? A: We will need your basic identification and insurance information.

Q: Do I need a referral from the VA? A: If you are using VA Community Care, you will need to have a referral from the VA.

Q: Can I sign up on behalf of a family member? A: You can sign up someone else, like a child. But our preference would be for any adult to sign themselves up on their own.

Q: How quickly can I start once I'm approved? A: Once we get your insurance information, we can verify you right away and you can start immediately.

3. Session Information

Session Details

Q: How long are typical therapy sessions? A: Sessions typically go for about an hour. But there is no required time length. So they can be shorter based on your needs.

Q: What happens during the first appointment? A: During the first session, your therapist will work with you to build the foundation of what your relationship with them will look like. They will learn more about you and you will learn about them.

Q: Can I have someone else in the room during my session? A: You can have whomever you feel comfortable in the room with you.

Q: Can I record my therapy sessions? A: We do not allow for recording of sessions by either the client or the therapist.

Treatment Planning

Q: How often should I schedule sessions? A: This is something that only you can decide. We recommend working with your therapist to decide the appropriate frequency for you.

Q: How long does therapy typically last? A: This is dependent on each person. Some people may feel they no longer need therapy after a few sessions. Some may spend years before feeling like they no longer need it.

Q: What if I need more intensive treatment? A: If you require a more intensive frequency of treatments, we can provide that. We can provide daily treatments if necessary.

Q: How do you measure progress? A: We measure progress on a personal basis for each client, based on their specific goals. What means progress for one person may not be a progress indicator for another.

Q: Can I pause and resume therapy? A: Absolutely. You can stop and start whenever you need.

4. Insurance & Billing

Coverage Details

Q: Are there any copays for CHAMPVA patients? A: CHAMPVA covers 75% of the cost of care until you hit your annual out of pocket maximum. If you have not hit your out of pocket maximum, you will only be responsible for a maximum of $20/session.

Q: What happens if I lose my CHAMPVA coverage? A: As with any insurance, if you lose coverage, then you will have to find alternative payment options.

Q: Can I switch between VA and CHAMPVA? A: We use whatever coverage you have.

Q: What if my VA rating changes? A: This shouldn't impact anything unless you actually lose your rating. And that's something that we will help you prevent.

Billing Process

Q: When does billing occur? A: After your session, we submit billing to the insurance company. Then we submit the remainder, if any to the patient.

Q: What forms of payment do you accept? A: We accept all major credit cards.

Q: Do you offer any payment plans? A: We can work with clients to setup payment plans on an as needed basis.

Q: How does billing work if I miss a session? A: If you don't show up for an appointment, or cancel within less than 24 hours, we reserve the right to charge $25. But we won't enforce that unless it becomes a repeat thing. This is not meant to be punitive, it's simply meant to protect our therapists time.

5. Technology & Platform

Technical Requirements

Q: What specific technical requirements do clients need for telehealth? A: They just need to have access to a computer or a smartphone, and internet access.

Q: What platforms/browsers are supported? A: Our systems can be accessed through any internet browser.

Q: Is there a mobile app? A: We do have a mobile app that is currently in development.

Session Management

Q: Can I do sessions from my phone? A: Absolutely. You can access our web platform from any device with a camera. Also, you can do sessions just over phone call without video.

Q: What happens if I lose internet connection during a session? A: If you lose connection and aren't able to reconnect, then we will try to reach you via phone call. If that doesn't work, then we will try to reschedule.

Q: How secure is the messaging system? A: Our messaging service is 100% HIPAA compliant and very secure.

6. Privacy & Security

Confidentiality

Q: How is patient information protected during online sessions? A: All of our systems are HIPAA compliant and have advanced security to protect all of your information.

Q: What information is shared with the VA? A: Only what is necessary for the coordination of your treatment. If they request documents for approval of your treatment, then we will provide that so your treatment can continue. You have access to all of the same documentation.

Q: Are sessions confidential from the VA/military command? A: All your sessions are confidential. If the VA requires information to approve services, we will provide them with the minimum information for you to be able to continue services. This is no different than normal insurance companies. We will not provide any information to your military command.

Records & Documentation

Q: How are therapy notes stored and protected? A: All our clinical data is stored on a highly secure system within our own proprietary Electronic Health Record system.

Q: Can my therapy records affect my security clearance? A: Your therapy records can not be used to effect your eligibility for anything such as security clearances. However, if situations come up where you express that you are a threat to yourself or others, your therapist may be required by law to inform the appropriate agencies, which could impact this.

Q: How long do you keep patient records? A: We are required by HIPAA to maintain records for a minimum of 6 years.

7. Provider Information

Therapist Qualifications

Q: How are your therapists vetted? A: We perform background checks and verifications for all of our therapists.

Q: Can I see therapist credentials before choosing one? A: Absolutely. All of our therapists credentials are available through their profile and publicly available through state credentialling services.

Q: Do your therapists have military experience? A: Some of our therapists have direct military experience and some are family members of military members.

Q: Can I request a therapist of a specific gender? A: Yes you can. This can limit your options, but we do respect your preferences.

Therapist Selection

Q: How many therapists do you have? A: We have many therapists across the United States, the total amount of available therapists varies depending on which state you are in.

Q: Can I switch therapists if I don't feel it's a good fit? A: Absolutely. You can change therapists at any time, for any reason.

8. Special Circumstances

Military-Specific Situations

Q: What if I'm deployed or relocate? A: If you deploy, you can continue to see your therapist. If you move to a new state, you may need to change therapists in order to comply with state licensing requirements for the therapists.

Q: Can I do therapy while traveling? A: You can use our platform from anywhere in the country.

Q: What if I'm stationed overseas? A: If you are deployed, you can use your state of residence to connect with a therapist.

Crisis & High-Risk Situations

Q: What if I need immediate crisis support? A: If you are in crisis, we recommend reaching out to the Veterans Hotline by calling 988.

Q: How do you handle high-risk situations? A: Each situation is handled individually. If your therapist doesn't believe that this is the right option for you, then they will work with you to find the most appropriate option for your situation.

9. Quality Assurance

Service Quality

Q: How do you ensure quality of care? A: We work to ensure open communication with our clients so that we can help with any issues that come up.

Q: What if I have complaints about services? A: If you have any complaints or concerns, we ask that you let us know right away so that we can address it appropriately.

Q: How do you collect feedback? A: We do collect feedback from our clients and therapists. We feel like this is incredibly important to ensure that we can continue to provide incredible customer service.

10. ValorWell Foundation

Foundation Services

Q: What does ValorWell Foundation do? A: The ValorWell Foundation helps Veterans with gaining the VA Ratings that they deserve and with covering the costs of treatment while they get their ratings.

Q: How does the Foundation work with ValorWell? A: ValorWell provides the actual mental health services and helps provide billing assistance to other providers who want to work with CHAMPVA but are unable to get set up to bill directly. The Foundation helps with VA ratings and covering treatment costs.

Q: Do you help with VA benefits applications? A: We help provide the documentation needed and Nexus Letters. We work with the ValorWell Foundation who will help you build and submit your claim.

11. Future Services

Upcoming Developments

Q: Are you expanding to new services? A: This is something on our future projects. For right now, with CHAMPVA, we have developed a system to allow us to help any provider of any specialty be able to bill to them without issues. For Tricare and VA Community Care, we can help you find providers that work with those networks.

Q: When will medications/psychiatry be available? A: This is on our roadmap for the end of 2025. But for right now, we are offering to allow any psychiatrist to be able to use us to bill to CHAMPVA through us.

Q: Will you offer in-person services? A: We are not expecting to offer in-person services in the near future.

Q: Are you accepting new insurance plans? A: We expect to start accepting Tricare in early 2025.