VA Community Care and TMS in Provo: How the Referral Works

The rest of this guide walks through the referral steps in plain English, what VA's public TMS criteria say, and how to get a clear next step at our Provo clinic.

Coverage details are from VA Community Care public guidance as of October 2026 and can change.

You've already carried enough. The referral path shouldn't be a maze.

You served. You've done the appointments, the medication trials, the waiting. Then someone mentions TMS and you land on a stack of VA pages written for staff, not for you.

You shouldn't have to decode a federal process just to ask whether community care can help. We pulled the parts that matter into one page so you can bring a real question to your consult.

How does a VA Community Care referral work?

Before you schedule with a non-VA provider in the community care network, you need a referral. Your VA health care team must approve the care. VA's public how-to page lays out this path:

1. Find a community provider that works with VA (or ask your VA team to help find one).
2. Ask your VA health care team for a referral. VA reviews eligibility, confirms you want community care and the type of appointment you need, then prepares the referral. This part can take up to 14 days.
3. Schedule your appointment after you have the referral. You can schedule yourself or ask VA to schedule. If you schedule yourself, tell your VA health care team within 14 days.
4. Keep your authorization letter. After you schedule, VA sends an authorization letter with an authorization number, your approved community provider, a description of the care you can get, and how long you can continue without another referral.
5. Go to your appointment and keep track of ongoing care. VA will not cover services that your authorization letter does not include. If you need more care, you or your community provider can request a new referral.

For Salt Lake City area veterans, VA Salt Lake City Health Care also lists Community Care program information you can use with your care team.

Who may be eligible for community care?

VA's public eligibility page says you must be enrolled in VA health care (or otherwise eligible) and get VA approval before community care, except in urgent or emergency situations. Eligibility paths can include cases where the service is not available at VA, when drive-time or wait-time standards apply, when it is in your best medical interest, and related pathways. Your VA team decides eligibility. We do not decide it for them. At your consult we confirm whatever referral and authorization details you already have.

What does VA's public TMS guidance say?

VA Community Care publishes a Clinical Determination and Indication (CDI) document for transcranial magnetic stimulation. In that public CDI, TMS is indicated for major depressive disorder (MDD) and for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) when all listed criteria are met. Those criteria include a confirmed diagnosis, at least moderate severity, and one of several treatment-history paths (for example a failed adequate medication trial of at least six weeks, intolerance, prior successful TMS, or TMS as an alternative to more invasive options). The order must come from a psychiatrist (MD/DO) or psychiatric nurse practitioner who has examined you and has experience giving TMS, and preauthorization is required.

That is VA's public clinical guidance. It is not the same as device FDA clearance.

MagVenture MagPro R30, FDA-cleared for major depressive disorder.

We also offer TMS protocols for PTSD, OCD, anxiety, cognitive enhancement and pain, plus therapy, medication management, telehealth, accelerated TMS and couples and family care.

We'll tell you plainly at your consult what your referral covers and what options fit.

What to bring to your free consult

Bring what you can. Missing pieces are fine. We can help you figure out what to ask your VA team next.

1. Your VA referral or authorization letter, if you already have one (authorization number, approved provider, care description, and duration help a lot).
2. Your VA medical record summary or problem list, if you can get a copy.
3. A list of medications you've tried for depression or other conditions, including doses and roughly how long you took them.
4. Your current VA or community providers, with names and phone numbers.
5. Any questions you want answered before you decide. Write them down. That's enough.

Why veterans come to RSLNT in Provo

RSLNT Wellness is a veteran-owned, minority-owned clinic inside Provo Towne Centre. We built it for people who are tired of being passed around. We provide medication management and therapy alongside TMS when they are part of the care plan.

You can read more about care for veterans and their families, our page on TRICARE and TMS questions in Provo, and TMS therapy in Provo.

TMS session length and schedule

Standard TMS sessions take about 30 minutes, including your first. Accelerated TMS sessions take about 10 minutes; your first accelerated session takes about 15, with 5 extra minutes for mapping. Visits are usually most weekdays for several weeks; your clinician sets your schedule.

Your plan: three simple steps

1. Talk with your VA health care team about a community care referral for TMS, if you don't have one yet.
2. Book a free consult with us online or call (385) 207-2211. Bring whatever referral paperwork you have.
3. Leave with a clear answer. We'll go over what your authorization covers, what happens next, and whether TMS at RSLNT is a fit. If it isn't, we'll tell you and talk about other paths.

Don't let a confusing federal process be the reason you stay stuck. Picture walking out of your consult knowing where you stand with VA Community Care.

Book a free consult or call (385) 207-2211. We're at 1200 Towne Centre Blvd, Space 1120, in Provo, and we serve all of Utah County.

RSLNT Wellness is not emergency care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911. Veterans can call 988 and press 1.