he current VA Community Care Network contracts — administered by Optum and TriWest — have been operating since 2019. They were built on lessons learned from earlier programs: the Veterans Choice Program, the Patient-Centered Community Care contracts, and the patchwork of regional VA arrangements that preceded the MISSION Act. They have served well. They have also revealed operational gaps that VA’s contracting offices have been studying for several years now. The result is taking shape in the form of CCN Next Generation.
As of early 2026, CCN Next Generation is in its market research phase under VA’s Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics. No contract award has been made. No transition date has been published. The current Optum and TriWest networks remain the operational reality for the foreseeable window. But practices building long-term capacity around VA referrals should understand what is on the horizon.
Where Things Stand
- Status: CCN Next Generation is in market research; no contract award has been made.
- Operating environment: Current Optum (Regions 1–3) and TriWest (Regions 4–5) contracts continue.
- Stated intent: Incorporate lessons learned, streamline community care processes, introduce industry best practices.
- Practical implication: No contract disruption is announced; practices should continue current credentialing and operations.
- What to watch: VA contracting announcements, TPA communications, and any draft solicitation documents released for public comment.
What Market Research Means
In federal contracting language, market research is the phase before a formal solicitation is issued. The contracting agency — in this case, VA’s Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics — gathers information from potential vendors, industry stakeholders, and existing contract performance data to shape the requirements of the successor contract. Sources sought notices, requests for information, and industry days are typical artifacts of this phase.
The relevance for direct care providers is straightforward: market research is where VA decides what it wants the next contract to look like. That includes the operational requirements TPAs will need to meet, the credentialing processes they will administer, the rate structures, the documentation expectations, and the quality metrics that determine designations like High Performing Provider. Anything that survives market research will appear in the formal solicitation when it is issued.
What VA Has Signaled
Public-facing acquisition materials and VA statements have signaled three general directions for CCN Next Generation. None are committed contract language at this stage. All are worth tracking.
1. Streamlined credentialing and onboarding
The current CCN credentialing cycle — from initial application to network participation — can stretch months. Multiple TPAs maintain parallel credentialing pipelines, sometimes requiring duplicate documentation from practices that participate across regions or specialties. CCN Next Generation is widely expected to consolidate or accelerate this process.
2. Tighter integration with VA’s electronic systems
HSRM (HealthShare Referral Manager), EPS (External Provider Scheduling), and the VA Cerner electronic health record rollout have all evolved on parallel tracks since the original CCN contracts were drafted. The next contract is expected to require deeper interoperability — meaning practices with EMR systems that already integrate well with VA may find the transition easier than those that have relied on manual documentation workflows.
3. Refined quality measurement
The HPP designation has been useful but uneven. Practices with sophisticated data capture earn it; practices delivering equivalent care without that infrastructure sometimes do not. CCN Next Generation is expected to revisit how quality is measured and whether the resulting designations more accurately reflect clinical outcomes.
What Is Not Known Yet
The fundamental questions — who the prime contractor or contractors will be, how regions will be drawn, what reimbursement structure will apply, whether the two-TPA structure persists or consolidates — are all open. Speculation in industry trade publications is not a reliable guide. Practices should treat market-research-phase rumors with the same caution as any pre-solicitation reporting.
What Direct Care Providers Should Do Now
The practical answer is: keep operating. The current CCN contracts are the operating environment, and they will continue to be for the foreseeable window. Continue credentialing renewals. Continue submitting claims through the current TPAs. Continue documenting through HSRM. None of those workflows change because of market research.
Three additional habits will pay off during the eventual transition:
- Keep your TPA communications current. When CCN Next Generation moves from market research to solicitation, the TPAs will be among the first to know how their roles change. Their network bulletins will be a leading indicator.
- Maintain clean credentialing files. Successor contracts often require re-credentialing or credential reverification. Practices with organized, current files transition faster.
- Track the VA contracting page. The Office of Integrated Veteran Care and the Office of Procurement, Acquisition and Logistics both publish public-facing acquisition materials. Subscribing to relevant notices keeps you ahead of trade-publication speculation.
The Larger Pattern
Federal contracting cycles are slow by design. The current CCN contracts took years to design, award, and stand up. CCN Next Generation will follow a similar arc. Practices that overreact to early-stage market research signals — by withdrawing from current CCN participation, by holding back on credentialing investments, by waiting for the new contract before committing — generally end up worse off than practices that continue participating while monitoring the transition.
The veterans who need community care need it now. The contracts that pay for it will evolve. The clinical role of the Direct Care Provider remains the same.