(a) VA will pay or reimburse for the costs of emergency transportation (i.e., ambulance or air ambulance) to a VA facility or non-VA facility for the provision of emergent suicide care to an eligible individual under § 17.1210.

(1) For claims submitted by providers of emergency transportation, rates of payment for emergency transportation under paragraph (a) of this section will be calculated as they are under 38 CFR 17.1005(a)(1) through (3). For purposes of this section, the term “emergency treatment” in § 17.1005(a) should be read to mean “emergency transportation.”

(2) For claims submitted by an individual eligible under § 17.1210, VA will reimburse for emergency transportation under paragraph (a) of this section the costs such individual incurred for the emergency transportation.

(b) To obtain payment for emergency transportation furnished under paragraph (a) of this section, the provider of such transportation must submit to VA a standard billing form and other information as required no later than 180 calendar days from the date transportation was furnished. Submission instructions, to include required forms and other information, can be found at www.va.gov.

(c) To obtain reimbursement for emergency transportation under paragraph (a) of this section, an individual eligible under § 17.1210 must submit to VA a standard billing form and other information as required no later than 180 calendar days from the date the individual paid for such transportation. Submission instructions, to include required forms and other information, can be found at www.va.gov.

(d) Payment by VA under paragraph (a) of this section shall, unless rejected and refunded within 30 calendar days of receipt, extinguish all liability on the part of the individual who received care. No provision of a contact, agreement, or assignment to the contrary shall operate to modify, limit, or negate this requirement.