[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 71 (Friday, April 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 15044]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07336]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Tiered Pharmacy Copayments for Medications Update

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Notice updates the 
information on Tier 1 medications.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Duran, Director of Policy and 
Planning, Office of Community Care, Veterans Health Administration, 
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 
20420; email: [email protected]; telephone: (303) 372-4629 (this is 
not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 17.110 of Title 38 CFR governs 
copayments for medications that VA provides to Veterans. Section 17.110 
provides the methodologies for establishing the copayment amount for 
each 30-day or less supply of medication provided by VA on an 
outpatient basis (other than medication administered during treatment).
    Section 17.110 provides a list of Tier 1 medications that will be 
published as a Notice in the Federal Register and will be posted on 
VA's website (www.va.gov/health) at least once per year. Tier 1 
medication means a multi-source medication that has been identified 
using the process described in Section 17.110(b)(2). 38 CFR Section 
17.110(b)(1)(iv)(B). Based on the methodologies set forth in Section 
17.110, this Notice updates the list of Tier 1 medications.
    Not less than once per year, VA will identify a subset of multi-
source medications as Tier 1 medications. Only medications that meet 
all of the criteria in paragraphs (b)(2)(i), (ii), and (iii) of Section 
17.110 will be eligible to be considered Tier 1 medications, and only 
those medications that meet all of the criteria in paragraph (b)(2)(i) 
of this section will be assessed using the criteria in paragraphs 
(b)(2)(ii) and (iii). As of the date of this Notice, the Tier 1 
medication list based on the methodologies in Section 17.110 will be 
posted on VA's website (www.va.gov/health) under the heading ``Tier 1 
Copay Medication List.''
    The following table is the Tier 1 Copay Medication List that is 
effective January 1, 2019, and will remain in effect until December 31, 
2019.

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          Condition                         VA product name
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Arthritis and Pain...........  Aspirin Buffered Tablet, Aspirin Chewable
                                Tablet, Aspirin Enteric Coated Tablet,
                                Allopurinol Tablet, Ibuprofen Tablet,
                                Meloxicam Tablet, Naproxen Tablet.
Blood Thinners and Platelet    Clopidogrel Bisulfate Tablet, Warfarin
 Inhibitors.                    Sodium Tablet.
Bone Health..................  Alendronate Tablet.
Cholesterol..................  Atorvastatin Tablet, Gemfibrozil Tablet,
                                Lovastatin Tablet, Niacin (Slo-Niacin)
                                Tablet, Pravastatin Tablet, Rosuvastatin
                                Calcium Tablet, Simvastatin Tablet.
Dementia.....................  Donepezil Tablet, Memantine Hydrochloride
                                (HCL) Tablet.
Diabetes.....................  Glipizide Tablet, Metformin HCL Tablet,
                                Metformin HCL 24-hour (HR) Sustained
                                Action (SA) Tablet, Pioglitazone HCL
                                Tablet.
Electrolyte Supplement.......  Potassium SA Tablet, Potassium SA
                                Dispersible Tablet.
Gastrointestinal Health......  Omeprazole Enteric Coated (EC) Capsule,
                                Pantoprazole Sodium EC Capsule,
                                Ranitidine Tablet.
Glaucoma and Eye Care........  Brimonidine 0.2% Solution, Dorzolamide 2%/
                                Timolol 0.5% Solution, Latanoprost
                                0.005% Solution, Timolol Maleate 0.25%
                                Solution, Timolol Maleate 0.5% Solution.
Heart Health and Blood         Amlodipine Tablet, Amiodarone HCL Tablet,
 Pressure.                      Aspirin (see Arthritis and Pain),
                                Atenolol Tablet, Carvedilol Tablet,
                                Chlorthalidone Tablet, Clonidine Tablet,
                                Diltiazem 24-Hour Capsule, Diltiazem HCL
                                Tablet, Enalapril Maleate Tablet,
                                Furosemide Tablet, Hydrochlorothiazide
                                Capsule/Tablet, Hydrochlorothiazide/
                                Lisinopril Tablet, Hydrochlorothiazide/
                                Triamteren Capsule/Tablet, Isosorbide
                                Mononitrate SA Tablet, Lisinopril
                                Tablet, Losartan Tablet, Metoprolol
                                Succinate SA Tablet, Metoprolol Tartrate
                                Tablet, Nifedipine SA Capsule,
                                Nitroglycerin Sublingual Tablet,
                                Prazosin HCL Capsule, Propranolol HCL
                                Tablet, Spironolactone Tablet, Valsartan
                                Tablet, Verapamil HCL Tablet, Verapamil
                                HCL SA Tablet.
Mental Health................  Amitriptyline HCL Tablet, Bupropion HCL
                                Tablet, Bupropion HCL SA (12-HR
                                Sustained Release) Tablet, Bupropion HCL
                                SA (24-HR Extended Release XL) Tablet,
                                Buspirone HCL Tablet, Citalopram
                                Hydrobromide Tablet, Duloxetine HCL EC
                                Capsule, Escitalopram Oxalate Tablet,
                                Fluoxetine Capsule/Tablet, Lithium
                                Carbonate Capsule/Tablet, Mirtazapine
                                Tablet, Paroxetine HCL Tablet,
                                Sertraline HCL Tablet, Trazodone Tablet,
                                Venlafaxine HCL Tablet, Venlafaxine HCL
                                SA Tablet/Capsule.
Respiratory Condition........  Montelukast NA Tablet.
Seizures.....................  Gabapentin Capsule, Lamotrigine Tablet,
                                Topiramate Tablet.
Thyroid Conditions...........  Levothyroxine Sodium Tablet.
Urologic (Bladder and          Alfuzosin HCL SA Tablet, Doxazosin
 Prostate) Health.              Mesylate Tablet, Finasteride Tablet,
                                Oxybutynin Chloride Tablet, Oxybutynin
                                Chloride SA Tablet, Tamsulosin HCL
                                Capsule, Terazosin HCL Capsule.
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Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Robert L. 
Wilkie, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this 
document on March 14, 2019, for publication.

    Dated: April 9, 2019.
Luvenia Potts,
Program Specialist, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of 
the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019-07336 Filed 4-11-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P