TriWest Benefits for Veteran Drug & Alcohol Rehab

TriWest partners with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure many military veterans and their families get access to life-saving benefits. There are 70,000 health care professionals in the TriWest network.¹

This page will explain how TriWest Healthcare Alliance operates, and how to get addiction treatment with TriWest.

What is TriWest?

The VA’s Community Care Network (CCN) serves as the VA’s vehicle for contracting directly with community treatment providers across the United States. Community care enables Veterans with VA benefits to access treatment outside of the VA when necessary.

The CCN partners with 3rd party administrators (TPAs) on behalf of the VA to provide industry-standard approaches for healthcare services, payment, and network management. TriWest Healthcare Alliance is the TPA for regions 4 and 5. These regions encompass the Western contiguous United States, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, and territories like American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.²

TriWest contracts with many providers in these areas, including facilities that treat behavioral health conditions like addiction.

TriWest Eligibility Requirements

There are several eligibility requirements one must meet to access treatment through the Community Care Network (CCN) of providers. Meeting any one of the following 6 criteria makes the patient eligible for treatment through the VA CCN or TriWest:³

1. A TriWest facility is the best medical decision for someone’s needs.
2. Full-service VA facilities are not accessible in the patient’s locality.
3. VA facilities in the area do not meet the designated access standards (i.e., excessive driving distance or wait times for appointments).
4. The patient is “grandfathered in” under the distance eligibility provision. In other words, the patient was eligible under the Veterans Choice Program’s (VCP) 40-mile criterion and continues to reside in a location that would qualify them under this criterion (e.g., North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Alaska, or Wyoming, or the patient lives in another state and had been treated between June 6, 2017, and June 6, 2018).
5. The necessary treatment is not available at a local VA facility.
6. The medical service line does not meet the VA’s designated standards.

Does TriWest Cover Addiction Treatment?

Yes, many addiction treatment facilities like Laguna are part of the TriWest provider network. Many veterans and their families can get the help needed to get sober and maintain long-term recovery with addiction treatment through TriWest.⁴

What Addiction Treatments Are Covered by TriWest?

TriWest facilities provide many evidence-based addiction treatment methods that have helped many veterans achieve lasting recovery. These include:^4,5

• Medical detox.
• Residential treatment.
• Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). 
• Various levels of outpatient counseling.
• Co-occurring disorder treatment for mental conditions like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

Laguna Treatment Hospital—a facility that provides detox and inpatient rehab in Orange County—is part of the TriWest network and offers several scientifically researched types of addiction treatment, behavioral therapies, and a robust aftercare program.

How to Use TriWest Coverage for Addiction Treatment

Laguna Treatment Hospital is part of the TriWest Healthcare Alliance network and enables potential patients to . Additionally, admissions navigators at can assist with getting insurance approval and answer questions about the care provided at Laguna.

To find a TriWest or Community Care Network (CCN) facility for addiction treatment, someone may also check the resources provided on the TriWest website.

TriWest Coverage for Co-Occurring PTSD and Addiction

PTSD with co-occurring addiction is common, especially among military veterans. Approximately 33% of veterans that seek help for a substance use disorder (SUD) also have PTSD.⁶

Treatment for both conditions involves cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT works by identifying and repairing harmful thought and behavioral patterns. This includes developing effective and healthy coping strategies for cravings and PTSD triggers that do not involve misusing drugs or alcohol.^7,8

What Are the Benefits of TriWest for Addiction Treatment?

The partnership of TriWest and VA enables military members to get quality care in areas to which they may have otherwise not had access. Research has identified evidence-based treatment techniques that help patients achieve recovery and are utilized by TriWest and CCN facilities.⁹

Please call to start addiction treatment at Laguna Treatment Hospital or to learn more about using insurance for rehab, or other ways to pay for addiction treatment.