Getting urgent care at VA or in-network community providers
If you’re an eligible Veteran, you can get urgent care at VA medical centers and in‑network urgent care providers near you. Use urgent care for minor injuries and illnesses that aren’t life-threatening—like strep throat, sprained muscles, and skin and ear infections. Keep reading on this page to find out how to get urgent care.
Eligibility for urgent care
You can get urgent care at VA medical centers and in‑network community providers, if both of these descriptions are true for you:
- You’re a Veteran enrolled in VA health care, and
- You received care at a VA or in-network provider in the past 24 months (2 years)
To check your eligibility, contact your local VA health facility. Or call us at 800-698-2411 (TTY: 711). Select option 1, then option 3, then option 1.
Note: Your family members can’t use your urgent care benefit.
Covered urgent care services
We cover urgent care services at VA medical centers as well as in-network urgent care centers and walk-in retail health clinics. You don’t need to get a referral before you get urgent care.
These are examples of covered services:
- Care for minor injuries and illnesses (like strep throat, pink eye, sprained muscles, and skin and ear infections)
- Diagnostic services like X-rays and some types of lab tests
- Some types of medicines and vaccines
Note: If you think your life or health is in danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
What to bring with you to a community urgent care provider
- A valid, government-issued photo ID, and
- A copy of the VA urgent care billing information card
You can download a PDF of the urgent care billing information card to print out or show on your mobile device.
What to do when you arrive at a community urgent care provider
- Confirm that the provider is in our network. Check for a posted sign or ask a staff member. If you go to an out-of-network urgent care provider, you may have to pay the full cost of care. By law, we can’t pay claims for out-of-network providers.
- Fill out the provider’s intake form.
- Tell the provider you want to use your VA urgent care benefit. Show the provider your urgent care billing information card. The provider will call the phone number for your region listed on the card to check your eligibility.
- Don’t pay a copay.
If you need help using your urgent care benefit, call us:
- Call 888-901-6609 if the provider is in Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., or any of these states: AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VI, VT, WI, or WV.
- Call 866-620-2071 if the provider is in any of these states: AK, AS, AZ, CA, CO, GU, HI, ID, MP, MT, NM, NV, OR, TX, UT, WA, or WY.
Common questions about urgent care
No. Don’t pay anything at the time of your visit. If you have a copay, we’ll send you a bill.
Copays for urgent care are $30 in some cases. Whether you have a copay depends on factors like your priority group and how many times you go to urgent care in a year.
Yes. We pay for up to a 14-day supply of most urgent care prescriptions from in-network community pharmacies.
Here’s what to know:
- The pharmacy must be in the same state as your urgent care visit
- If you have a non-urgent prescription you take regularly or it’s more than a 14-day supply, you must fill it through VA
- If the prescription is for an opioid, we pay for up to a 7-day supply, or the state limit, whichever is less
- If you fill a prescription at an out-of-network pharmacy, you may have to pay the full cost
Learn how to file a claim for reimbursement
Find an in-network community pharmacy
If you need help, call us:
Call
Call
We’ll pay you back for the cost of travel if both of these descriptions are true for you.
Both of these must be true:
- You’re eligible for VA travel reimbursement, and
- You travel to get care at a non-VA urgent care location in your community
We base your payment on the one-way distance to the nearest VA health facility or community provider that could have provided the care or service. We pay for only one-way (not round-trip) travel costs for unscheduled care.
No. Urgent care isn’t a replacement for your primary care provider (PCP). And your urgent care benefit doesn’t cover the preventive health services your primary care provider offers.
Use urgent care when you need treatment right away for minor illnesses and injuries. If you think the urgent care provider won’t understand your medical history or medicines, contact your primary care provider.
Contact your nearest VA health facility. All of our VA medical centers offer same-day primary care and mental health services.
If you think your life or health is in danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Know that we can only pay for your emergency care under certain conditions.