The VA Illiana Health Care System in Danville is no longer going to offer a 24-hours a day, 7-days a week Urgent Care Center. The following announcement was made on Tuesday, December 17th by the VA:
Recruiting qualified Urgent Care health care providers and nursing staff can be
challenging – especially in rural areas like Danville.
VA Illiana Health Care System (VAIHCS) cannot provide 24/7 Urgent Care services
without the staff to deliver them. That’s why, effective January 2, 2020, Urgent Care hours of
operation will be 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., seven days a week. Urgent Care will follow the same
schedule as Primary Care and close on Federal holidays.
In addition to VAIHCS Urgent Care services, Veterans may now use the expanded
Urgent Care benefits under the MISSION Act of 2018. This is a huge step forward in terms of
convenience for our patients, as eligible Veterans do not need to get prior authorization from VA
to visit a non-VA Urgent Care provider in VA’s network. VA’s Urgent Care benefit is meant to
give Veterans a convenient way to get treatment for minor injuries and illnesses such as colds,
strep throat and pink eye. Eligible Danville-area Veterans have access to 11 non-VA Urgent Care
sites within 50 miles of the city. A list of network non-VA Urgent Care facilities for eligible
Veterans can be found at https://vaurgentcarelocator.triwest.com/Locator/Care.
As an example of how the new Urgent Care benefit works, please see here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3kW7Dutw3Y.
Veterans and eligible family members should call 911 or seek the closest available
emergency care in life-threatening situations regardless of VA Illiana Urgent Care clinic hours of
operation.
If a Veteran seeks care at a non-VA facility, they, a family member, friend or hospital
staff should notify the nearest VA within 72 hours, to ensure that the administrative and clinical
requirements for VA to pay for the care are met. To notify the VA, Veterans may call the
Administrative Officer of the Day at 217-554-4560.
Veterans may check VA benefit eligibility by calling 1-833-4VETNOW or by calling the VA
Illiana HCS eligibility office 217-554-3000 ext. 45388.
