Copayments for medications after June 30, 2010. Interim final rule.

This document amends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical regulations concerning the copayment required for certain medications. Under current regulations, the copayment amount must be increased based on the prescription drug component of the Medical Consumer Price Index (CPI-P), and the maximum annual copayment amount must be increased when the copayment is increased. Under the amendments in this rule, until January 1, 2012, we will freeze copayments at the current rate for veterans in VA's health care system enrollment priority categories 2 through 6 and increase copayments as required by the current regulation only for veterans in priority categories 7 and 8. Thereafter, if VA does not prescribe a new methodology for increasing copayments, we will resume increasing copayments in accordance with any change in the CPI-P.