Where Veterans, Cannabis, and VA Care Finally Connect.

Mendry supports the two-hat clinical model — providers who serve veterans through VA Community Care and, under separate state authority, provide licensed medical cannabis care. One clinician. Two credentials. Real continuity. FREE for veterans and their families.

Our Promise

Veteran Care Is Compassion Care

Provider directory opens on Veterans Desk, our partner platform.

The Two-Hat Model

One Clinician. Two Credentials. The Coordinated Veteran Care That Has Been Missing.

Veterans have been navigating fragmented care for years — their VA provider on one side, a separate cannabis evaluator on the other, with the integration left to the veteran. The two-hat model puts the same licensed clinician on both sides, operating under separate authorities the law itself contemplates.

Federal Authority

VA Community Care

The provider holds VA Community Care credentialing. They see veterans referred through the Community Care Network (CCN), deliver federally-authorized care, and bill VA third-party administrators (TPAs). Under VHA Directive 1315 (rev. July 28, 2023), they discuss and document cannabis use in VA records, screen for drug interactions, and adjust care planning accordingly.

Veterans cannot be denied VA benefits for disclosing cannabis use or participating in a state cannabis program. That protection is explicit and statutory.

Policy verified 4 August 2026 against the VA’s published directive. Reviewed quarterly.

State Authority

Medical Cannabis Practice

The same clinician separately holds a state medical cannabis practitioner credential. They evaluate veterans for state-licensed medical cannabis programs, exercise real clinical judgment, and provide written certifications, recommendations, or prescriptions as their state defines.

This is real treating medicine — performed under state authority by a licensed clinician treating illness with medical cannabis where the evidence supports it.

Who We Serve

Three Audiences. One Mission.

Mendry exists because veterans deserve better-coordinated care — and the clinicians and Direct Care Support Professionals (DCSP) who serve them deserve a network that supports the work.

Veterans

Free access to the platform. Find a two-hat provider, learn how the model protects your VA benefits, and understand what your VA disclosure actually means under VHA Directive 1315 (rev. July 28, 2023).

Direct Care Providers

Physicians, DOs, NPs, and PAs evaluating or already running the two-hat model. Read the 10-part provider guide. Find peer support. Get the regulatory tracking that solo practice can’t provide alone.

DCSP Members

Direct Care Support Professionals — credentialing, billing, enrollment, prior auth, compliance, and admin operations. Member blogs, role education, and the network around the providers you support.

Peri Care Home Essentials Fund

One box a year of home essentials, sent to a household caring for a senior veteran at home. No cost, no registration, no product sales.

How Two-Hat Care Works

From First Visit to Coordinated Care.

The two-hat model isn’t a workaround. It’s a deliberate practice structure that honors the legal separation federal and state authorities themselves require — while delivering the integrated clinical picture veterans have been asking for.

VA CCN Care

The veteran is seen under VA Community Care for federal benefits care. The provider documents cannabis use under VHA Directive 1315 protections.

State Cannabis Evaluation

The same clinician, under their separate state cannabis practitioner credential, evaluates the veteran for medical cannabis treatment.

Treatment Coordination

The veteran’s cannabis treatment informs ongoing VA care — drug interaction screening, treatment response tracking, integrated clinical decisions.

Continuity Over Time

One provider holds the full picture across both authorities. The veteran stops carrying the integration alone.

For Clinicians Considering The Model

What the Law Actually Says About Your License, Your DEA Registration, and Your VA Credentialing.

The most common reason qualified physicians avoid medical cannabis practice for veterans is fear. The fear is understandable. The fear is also, under current law, unfounded.

State Boards Credential Physicians for This Work

State medical boards explicitly credential physicians for medical cannabis practice in most states with active programs. Holding a state cannabis practitioner credential is itself evidence of being licensed and in good standing.

See the current state-by-state count →

What the DEA Has and Has Not Done

Conant v. Walters (9th Cir. 2002) held that the federal government may not revoke a physician’s DEA registration solely for recommending cannabis to a patient, treating the recommendation as protected speech. The decision binds the Ninth Circuit directly and has been widely cited elsewhere. Enforcement actions against physicians for recommendation activity conducted under state authority have been rare in the years since. This is a description of the legal landscape, not legal advice — consult your own counsel before making practice decisions.

VA Credentialing Does Not Ask About State Cannabis Credentials

VA Community Care credentialing does not ask about, and does not prohibit, holding a state cannabis practitioner credential. The two are different authorities operating in different domains.

Educational Resources

Read Before You Decide.

Honest, in-depth content for the clinicians, members, and veterans who want to understand the model before they commit to anything.

For Direct Care Providers

The Two-Hat Provider Guide

10 parts covering the legal framework, VA credentialing protection, operational separation, economics, patient communication, malpractice, state-by-state feasibility, and how to actually start a two-hat practice. Written for licensed clinicians.

For DCSP Members

DCSP Member Blog

Honest writing for the administrative members who run credentialing, billing, enrollment, and the rest of the work. Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) discipline. Veteran-to-DCSP transitions. The burnout no one talks about. Three blogs to start, more coming.

Veterans Are Waiting For This Care. Are You Ready To Deliver It?

Whether you’re a veteran looking for a provider who can serve you across both federal and state care, a clinician considering the two-hat model, or a DCSP member supporting the work — Mendry is the network that connects you to the rest of the field.

Provider directory opens on Veterans Desk, our partner platform.