When VA refers you to a community provider under the Veterans Community Care Program (38 CFR 17.4010–17.4040), that referral is typically authorized for a specific type of care, a specific number of visits, and a specific time period. If the community provider decides you need something beyond what was originally authorized — for example, ordering an ultrasound, additional imaging, lab work, or a specialist consult — that additional service is not automatically covered under the original authorization. In many cases, the provider's office is supposed to request an extension or additional authorization from VA (or from the third-party administrator managing community care in your region, such as Optum or TriWest) before performing the new service. If that step is skipped, VA can deny payment as "unauthorized care," and the bill can fall to the veteran.
Giving the imaging center your original referral paperwork is a reasonable start, but paperwork alone does not guarantee the ultrasound itself was added to the authorization. What matters is whether VA (or its claims processor) has an authorization number on file that specifically includes the ultrasound as an approved service. Community care call center representatives are not always able to verify this in real time, especially if the request hasn't been processed yet, which is a common source of confusion and frustration.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →Because billing responsibility depends entirely on whether the correct authorization exists before the service is performed, the safest move is not to rely on the phone line alone. Contact the community care office at your local VA medical facility directly (not just the general community care call center) and ask them to confirm, in writing if possible, that the ultrasound referral is authorized and to provide the authorization number. It also helps to ask the ordering community care provider whether they submitted a request for the additional service to VA, since providers who are new to VA referrals sometimes assume a follow-up test is automatically covered when it is not.
The concrete next step is to call or visit the community care office at the VA facility that issued the original referral, confirm there is a specific authorization number covering the ultrasound, and get that confirmation in writing before the appointment takes place.
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