Veterans International Behavioral Health & Recovery Initiative™
VIBHRI™
A Brat Corps® Institutional Demonstration Initiative
YOU SERVED. GETTING TO CARE SHOULDN’T BE ANOTHER MISSION. ™
When Care Requires a New Pathway™
VIBHRI™ helps eligible U.S. veterans explore additional pathways to behavioral-health care and navigate the nonclinical journey surrounding that care, from the first conversation through international access and continuity after returning home.
ACCESS. CLINICAL INDEPENDENCE. CONTINUITY.
START WITH A CONVERSATION
LEARN HOW VIBHRI™ WORKS
Dominican Republic — Initial Pilot
Your clinician decides your care. VA decides your VA benefits. Brat Corps® helps you navigate the pathway.
SOMETIMES THE BARRIER ISN’T WILLINGNESS.
IT’S ACCESS. A veteran may be ready to seek help and still encounter barriers:
long waits,
geography,
specialized needs,
administrative complexity,
financial barriers,
transportation,
continuity,
or simply difficulty finding a pathway that works.
VIBHRI™ was created to explore another responsible option.
We coordinate the infrastructure surrounding access to care while independent appropriately authorized clinical professionals make all clinical decisions. THE VETERAN COMES FIRST.
WHAT VIBHRI™ HELPS YOU DO
FIND A PATHWAY
Understand the program, your options, and what steps may be available.
GET CONNECTED
Connect with independent participating behavioral-health professionals for clinical review.
GET THERE
When international access is appropriate, we help coordinate travel, lodging, transportation, accessibility, and related logistics.
NAVIGATE THE PAPERWORK
When the VA Foreign Medical Program may apply, trained personnel can help you understand and navigate the administrative process.
HAVE SUPPORT WHILE YOU’RE THERE
Home Base™, Welcome Corps™, navigation, local transportation, practical assistance, and veteran community connection can provide a support structure outside the clinical setting.
COME HOME CONNECTED
The goal is not simply completing the trip. VIBHRI™ helps coordinate the transition and continuity pathway after the veteran returns.
HOW IT WORKS
01
START WITH A CONVERSATION
Tell us what barrier you are facing.
This is not a commitment to travel, and it is not a clinical diagnosis.
02
NONCLINICAL INTAKE & NAVIGATION
Brat Corps® helps organize the administrative side of your potential VIBHRI™ pathway.
A Veteran Navigator may help you understand what comes next.
03
INDEPENDENT CLINICAL REVIEW
If appropriate, you are connected with an independent participating clinical provider.
The provider decides whether the program is clinically appropriate for you.
Brat Corps® does not make that decision.
04
ACCESS PLANNING
If accepted and moving forward, VIBHRI™ may coordinate the practical access pieces, including:
travel
lodging
transportation
accessibility
caregiver logistics
Home Base support
financial-access assistance where eligible
05
INDEPENDENT CLINICAL CARE
Assessment and treatment are provided by appropriately authorized independent clinical professionals.
There is:
no universal treatment package;
no predetermined diagnosis;
no required number of sessions.
Care is based on clinical need.
06
RETURN & CONTINUITY
Before the veteran leaves, transition planning begins.
Where applicable, VIBHRI™ can help coordinate the nonclinical pathway for:
Return Home →
Continuity Handoff →
Day +7 →
Day +30 →
Day +90
THE GOAL IS NOT THE TRIP.
THE GOAL IS CONTINUITY.
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC PILOT
A CONTROLLED INTERNATIONAL ACCESS MODEL
The Dominican Republic is the inaugural pilot location for VIBHRI™.
The Pilot is being developed around independent Dominican clinical providers and a Brat Corps® nonclinical support infrastructure designed specifically for participating veterans.
Depending upon individual clinical need and provider capability, available services may include behavioral-health assessment, psychotherapy, psychiatric evaluation, medication management, psychological assessment, family intervention, crisis assessment, and discharge or continuity planning.
Not every veteran receives every service.
THE CLINICAL FIREWALL™
One of the most important features of VIBHRI™ is knowing who is responsible for what.
BRAT CORPS®
Access
Navigation
Appointments
Travel • Lodging
Transportation
Home Base
Welcome Corps
FMP Administrative Navigation
Treatment Access Fund™
Continuity
INDEPENDENT CLINICAL PROVIDER
Assessment
Diagnosis
Treatment
Medication
Clinical Safety
Clinical Decisions
Discharge
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
VA Benefit Eligibility
FMP Coverage
Claim Adjudication
Payment Decisions
YOUR CLINICIAN DECIDES YOUR CARE.
VA DECIDES YOUR VA BENEFITS.
BRAT CORPS® HELPS YOU NAVIGATE THE PATHWAY.
VETERAN TREATMENT ACCESS FUND™
WHEN CARE IS AVAILABLE BUT GETTING THERE ISN’T.
The Veteran Treatment Access Fund™ is designed to help eligible veterans overcome approved nonclinical financial barriers that may prevent access to care.
Subject to eligibility and available resources, assistance may support:
Airfare
Lodging
Transportation
Accessibility
Meals/Subsistence
Approved Caregiver Support
Emergency Travel Changes
Important:
TRAVEL ASSISTANCE NEVER PURCHASES TREATMENT.
The independent clinician determines appropriate clinical care.
The Fund determines whether eligible nonclinical access costs can be supported.
INTERNATIONAL HOME BASE™
A PLACE TO LAND. A PLACE TO CONNECT.
The International Home Base™ is designed as a nonclinical veteran support hub within the destination community.
Veterans may be able to access:
orientation,
navigation assistance,
transportation coordination,
communications support,
practical resources,
Welcome Corps™ services,
community programming,
caregiver support,
and veteran-to-veteran connection.
Home Base™ is not a clinic.
Clinical care remains with the independent clinical provider.
WHAT ABOUT THE VA FOREIGN MEDICAL PROGRAM?
VIBHRI™ may provide FMP administrative navigation when applicable.
That can include helping veterans understand publicly available FMP information, organize documentation, identify administrative requirements, and navigate the claims process.
But the distinction is absolute:
BRAT CORPS® DOES NOT DETERMINE FMP ELIGIBILITY.
BRAT CORPS® DOES NOT APPROVE FMP CLAIMS.
BRAT CORPS® DOES NOT GUARANTEE VA PAYMENT.
VA alone determines applicable eligibility, coverage, claims adjudication, and payment.
WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED?
The initial Pilot is being developed for eligible U.S. veterans who may have an appropriate behavioral-health need, satisfy Pilot requirements, are independently accepted by the participating clinical provider, can safely participate in the international outpatient model, and complete required financial, travel, administrative, and consent processes.
You do not need to decide everything today.
START WITH A CONVERSATION.
FOR VETERANS LIVING OVERSEAS
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE TRAVELING FROM THE UNITED STATES TO BELONG HERE.
VIBHRI™ is also being designed to support U.S. veterans who already reside outside the United States.
Overseas-resident veterans may be able to access:
local navigation,
independent provider connection,
FMP administrative navigation,
continuity support,
Home Base™ community connection,
resource information,
and future return-to-U.S. transition planning.
Veterans who live there are part of the community—not simply helpers for veterans arriving there.
FOR CLINICAL PARTNERS
HELP BUILD A RESPONSIBLE INTERNATIONAL VETERAN CARE NETWORK.
VIBHRI™ is developing relationships with appropriately authorized:
Psychiatrists
Psychologists
Psychotherapists
Behavioral-Health Organizations
Hospitals
Other Qualified Clinical Professionals
Clinical independence is protected.
Brat Corps® does not dictate diagnosis or treatment.
EXPLORE CLINICAL PARTICIPATION
FOR PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS
HELP BUILD THE PATHWAY.
VIBHRI™ is seeking relationships with qualified organizations supporting veteran access through:
lodging
transportation
accessibility
technology
communications
community programming
healthcare infrastructure
philanthropy
veteran organizations
institutional partnerships
BECOME A PARTNER
A DIFFERENT KIND OF INTERNATIONAL HEALTH INITIATIVE
VIBHRI™ IS NOT MEDICAL TOURISM.
This initiative is being built around:
Veteran Dignity
Independent Clinical Judgment
Responsible International Access
Safety Accountability
Financial Integrity
Community
Continuity
We are not building vacations around treatment.
We are building responsible pathways around veterans.
YOU SERVED.
GETTING TO CARE SHOULDN’T BE ANOTHER MISSION. ™
If traditional pathways have been difficult to navigate, there may be another option worth exploring.
START WITH A CONVERSATION.
LEARN ABOUT VIBHRI™
CONTACT VETERAN NAVIGATION
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Part of the Brat Corps® Institutional Network™
FOOTER NOTICE
Veterans International Behavioral Health & Recovery Initiative™ (VIBHRI™) is a Brat Corps® initiative and is not operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Clinical services are provided by independent appropriately authorized clinical providers. Brat Corps® does not diagnose, prescribe, or determine individual treatment. VA/FMP eligibility, coverage, claims adjudication, and reimbursement remain subject to VA determination. Participation in VIBHRI™ does not constitute or imply VA endorsement.