In this article, “community care contracts” are large federal contracts between VA and outside health‑plan companies that build and manage networks of non‑VA doctors, hospitals, and clinics for the Veterans Community Care Program. These contractors act as third‑party administrators: they sign up community providers, schedule and coordinate care, and process payments when Veterans get care outside VA at VA’s expense.
The RFP was released Dec. 15, 2025. Media reports based on the RFP say proposals are due to VA by March 16, 2026. The contracts are planned to run for about 10 years and replace current community care network contracts that expire in 2026, but VA has not yet publicly announced the exact award dates or the precise dates when the new contracts will take effect.
The RFP is aimed at national and regional health‑plan organizations (managed‑care/health‑network companies) that can serve as third‑party administrators for VA’s community care program. These organizations must be able to build and manage large provider networks, handle referrals and scheduling, and process claims. Individual doctors or hospitals typically do not bid on these master contracts; instead, they join the networks run by whichever health‑plan companies win the VA contracts.
VA says the new contracts will require health plans to follow broad, standard medical‑care guidelines used across major health systems and will give VA better data and technology to oversee care in real time. VA will use that data to monitor quality (for example, outcomes, patient satisfaction, cost‑effectiveness, and adherence to clinical guidelines, which it already tracks in its High Performing Provider program) and can “off‑ramp” contractors that fail to meet requirements—meaning it can move work to other contracted plans to protect Veterans’ care. The RFP itself (on SAM.gov) contains the detailed quality metrics, but those specifics are not spelled out in the press release.
Today, most Veterans who use community care are limited to provider networks built and managed by a single contractor in their region (Optum for Regions 1–3 and TriWest for Regions 4–5). Under the new “indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity” contract structure, VA plans to allow multiple national and regional health plans to compete within two large regions (East and West). VA and outside analysts say this should broaden Veterans’ choices by increasing the number of competing health plans and, in turn, the pool of in‑network community providers—though Veterans will still be subject to MISSION Act eligibility rules and in‑network availability rather than completely unrestricted choice.
Yes. The existing Community Care Network contracts signed in 2018 with Optum and TriWest are set to expire in 2026; the new “Next Generation” community care contracts are intended to replace those while keeping the overall Veterans Community Care Program in place. VA says the new IDIQ structure will let it shift work to other contracted plans and off‑ramp underperforming contractors in ways that ensure continuity of services and “no disruption of care to Veterans or VA operations.” However, VA has not yet publicly detailed exactly how individual Veterans will be notified of any network or contractor changes.
The full RFP and official details (requirements, deadlines, points of contact, and any amendments) are accessible through the link labeled “View the RFP here” in VA’s Dec. 15, 2025 press release; that link directs to the opportunity on SAM.gov, the federal government’s contract‑opportunity portal. Anyone—Veterans, the public, or potential bidders—can also go to SAM.gov’s “Contract Opportunities” section and search using terms like “Veterans Community Care Program” or the solicitation number listed in the VA press release/RFP.