Coronavirus FAQs: What Veterans need to know

Read this page to get answers to questions about COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and benefit updates.

Note: It’s always your choice if you want to get a vaccine or not. Your decision won’t affect your VA health care or any of your VA benefits in any way.

Updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines will be available at most VA health facilities. Before you go to a VA health facility to get a COVID-19 vaccine, call to make sure the facility has the

vaccine you want.

If you got a COVID-19 vaccine before September 12, 2023, you should get a single dose of an updated 2023-2024 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or Novavax).

If you never got a COVID-19 vaccine before, you should choose one of these options: 

If you have certain conditions that weaken your immune system, you may be eligible to get additional doses of an updated 2023-2024 vaccine. Ask your provider how many doses they recommend

for you. 

We offer diagnostic testing for Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care. At this time, we’re not charging a copay for COVID-19 testing. 

If you were tested at a VA health facility, you can get your test results online as soon as we have them. 

Your VA or community care provider will also call you with your test results when they’re available. If you have concerns about your results, call or send a secure message to your provider.

Note: If your self-test results are positive, you don’t need to schedule a lab test.

If you have any of these emergency warning signs, call 911 to get help now: 

If you have other symptoms of COVID-19, request a lab test appointment at VA or take a self-test at home. If your result is positive, tell your health care team right away. If you need

treatment, you must start it early for it to work. Some treatments must start within 5 days of your first symptoms.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, contact us before going to a VA health facility. Contacting us first helps us keep you and others safe.  

This service can advise you when to contact your VA care team or your facility’s advice nurse. It also provides general wellness tips and steps you can take to protect yourself. You can ask

your VA care team to assign the service to you. Or, you can subscribe to Annie coronavirus precautions messages yourself. 

First, know that you’re not alone. We're here for you. Concerns about COVID-19 can be stressful for many people. You can take steps to manage stress and get support.

There is no cure for COVID-19 at this time. There are treatments for COVID-19, but the risk of severe illness and death are still high in certain groups of people. 

Talk to your health care provider before taking any medications to prevent or treat COVID-19. 

If you have questions about a treatment, call or send a secure message to your VA provider.

Get answers to COVID-19 treatment questions on the FDA website

At VA, we’ve completed thousands of research studies with the goal of improving the health and well-being of Veterans. Because of this research history, we have the long-term data to best 

understand how illnesses, vaccines, and treatments affect Veterans.We’re now working to find ways to prevent and treat COVID-19 for Veterans and others. We have a lot to learn. We can’t

learn without doing research. And we can’t do research without people who volunteer to participate in research studies. As a research study participant, you can help us:

Learn more about volunteering for coronavirus research at VA

When you come to a VA health facility, your health and safety are our priorities.

All facilities require masks in high-risk areas like these: 

Masks are also required for people who are sick with COVID-19 or other viral respiratory illnesses. 

You can choose to wear a mask at any time. If you don’t have a mask, you can ask a staff member at your VA health facility for one.

If you have more questions about mask requirements, send a secure message to your care team or contact your VA health facility.

If you’ve had any of these symptoms within the past 48 hours, call first unless you need care now—even if you have an appointment. We’ll help you get any needed tests or treatment for

COVID-19. Or you can go to the emergency room for COVID-19 treatment.

Your provider will give you instructions about where to go for your video appointment. Or they’ll send you a link to join VA Video Connect.

We try to avoid canceling in-person appointments and elective procedures due to COVID-19 whenever possible. If we do need to cancel, we want to make sure you get the care you need as soon as

possible.

If we haven’t contacted you to reschedule your appointment or procedure, please contact us. We’ll help you schedule a new appointment. Your provider may recommend a phone or video

appointment for some needs.

Find your provider’s phone number to reschedule your appointment 

Send your provider a secure message to reschedule your appointment 

Please contact your community care (non-VA) provider directly before going to your appointment. Some providers’ hours or services may be affected by current CDC and local health department

guidelines.

Work with the provider to reschedule. We’re extending VA authorizations for community care referrals for many types of care during this time. If you have concerns about rescheduling your

appointment, send a secure message to your VA provider.

Send your VA provider a secure message about rescheduling your appointment

We’ll work with you to assess your needs. We’re continuing to make community care referrals. But we’re prioritizing referrals for urgent or other medically necessary care.

Please remember: You need VA approval for all community care appointments, except for emergency and urgent care needs. Getting a referral depends on eligibility, type of care, and other

factors. At this time, community care eligibility requirements haven’t changed.

Please request refills as soon as possible, but no later than 10 days before you need more medication.

Please also check that we have your current mailing address on file in your VA.gov profile. This is the address we’ll use to send your prescriptions. If you need to, you can change your

address in your profile.

Note: If you currently get your prescription sent to you by mail, you’ll continue to receive your refill requests as normal.

You’ll need to actively request your refill in one of these ways:

For questions about your prescriptions, send a secure message to your health care team through My HealtheVet. You can also call your local VA medical center.

Send a secure message to ask your care team about your prescriptions

You can request a prescription renewal in one of these ways:

If your prescription renewal requires an in-person evaluation

If you need to renew a prescription for a medication that requires an in-person evaluation, we’ve temporarily updated our policy to allow this type of evaluation through telehealth (phone or

video) appointment.

To request a telehealth appointment for a prescription renewal, send a secure message to your provider.

Send  your VA provider a secure message to request a telehealth appointment

We canceled and refunded copayments for all medical care and pharmacy services received through VA between April 6, 2020, and September 30, 2021. We also paused collection of unpaid

copayments for services or medications received before April 6, 2020, during this time. We took these actions to offer relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of October 1, 2021, we’ve started to collect copayments again. We continue to offer financial hardship assistance. If you have questions, contact our Health Resource Center at 

866-400-1238 (TTY: 711). We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.

Get answers to more questions about COVID-19 medical debt relief

We base eligibility for VA health care on several factors, like your military service, discharge status, and whether you have a service-connected disability.

If you’ve lost your job or have a reduced income, you may qualify for enhanced eligibility status based on your income. This means we’ll place you in a higher priority group, which makes you

more likely to get benefits and affects how much (if anything) you’ll need to pay for care.

If you’re not eligible for VA health care, you may still be able to get care.

Call us at 800-827-1000 to find out what your care options may be. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.

Yes. If you're struggling because of life situations like losing your job, having a sudden decrease in income, or having an increase in out-of-pocket family health care expenses, we can

help. You can request financial hardship assistance to manage your current VA copay debt or request an exemption from future copays. 

You can also call our Health Resource Center at 866-400-1238 to talk to someone about your options.

No. We’re currently processing all benefit payments as normal. This includes payments for disability, pension, education payments to your school, and more.  

Yes. We temporarily closed all of our 56 regional offices for in-person visits due to COVID-19. At this time, some offices have reopened with limited hours and services. These offices may be

screening visitors for COVID-19 symptoms. We require everyone entering a VA facility to wear a mask that covers their mouth and nose.

For your safety and convenience, we continue to offer help online and by phone. Please call first to confirm services or ask about getting help by phone or video.

You can still file a claim online, by mail, or with the help of a trained professional.  And we can still answer your questions by phone and through our online customer service tool. We’re

also continuing to support services like educational counseling, collecting information for fiduciary claims, and specially adaptive housing assistance by phone or approved video

conferencing tools.

Call 888-442-4551 toll-free. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. If you have hearing loss, call TTY: 711.

Call 800-827-1000 toll-free. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET. If you have hearing loss, call TTY: 711.

Yes. We now offer in-person claim exams again at all U.S. locations. If you live outside the U.S., the option of an in-person exam will depend on local COVID-19 guidance. We’ll work with you

to schedule your exam and tell you what to expect.

We’re also still doing telehealth exams by phone or video. And we’re doing more Acceptable Clinical Evidence (ACE) exams. This means we’ll review your existing medical records and contact

you for more information if needed, instead of requiring an in-person or telehealth exam.

We temporarily closed our regional offices and stopped in-person appointments due to COVID-19. At this time, some offices have reopened with limited hours and services. These offices may be

screening visitors for COVID-19 symptoms. We require everyone entering a VA facility to wear a mask that covers their mouth and nose.

For your safety and convenience, we continue to offer help online and by phone. Please call first to confirm services or ask about getting help by phone or video.

We’re using virtual services to hold appointments for some benefit activities by telephone or online video through VA Video Connect or other approved video meeting tools. Once your video

appointment is scheduled, you’ll receive a VA Video Connect link.

We’ll work with you to change your in-person appointment to a virtual appointment for benefits and services such as:

Please work with your VA representative to reschedule appointments. If you have questions, you can also call us at 800-827-1000. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.

Each location will adjust rules for masking as needed. For example, if your county has high levels of coronavirus transmission, everyone will need to wear a mask.Be prepared to wear a mask

at any VA location. Our staff will explain the location’s current mask rules when you arrive.You can also choose to wear a mask at any time. And if you have COVID-19 symptoms or you’ve had a

recent positive test or recent contact with someone with COVID-19, you should wear a mask.

We canceled and refunded copayments for all medical care and pharmacy services received through VA between April 6, 2020, and September 30, 2021. We also paused collection of unpaid

copayments for services or medications received before April 6, 2020, during this time. We took these actions to offer relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of October 1, 2021, we’ve started to collect copayments again. We continue to offer financial hardship assistance. If you have questions, contact our Health Resource Center at 

866-400-1238 (TTY: 711). We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.

Get answers to more questions about COVID-19 medical debt relief

To help with financial relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, we paused collection on all new VA benefit debt created between April 6, 2020, and September 30, 2021. We also offered a pause on

collection for debts created before April 6, 2020, as well as repayment plans.

As of October 1, 2021, we’re starting to send debt notification letters again. We’ll send these letters over the next several months. We continue to offer debt repayment and relief options.

For debt related to VA benefits: Call our Debt Management Center at 800-827-0648 (or 1-612-713-6415 from overseas), Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. Or contact us online

through Ask VA.

For debt related to VA medical care or pharmacy services: Call our Health Resource Center at 866-400-1238, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. 

If you’re experiencing financial hardship due directly or indirectly to COVID-19, call your loan servicer right away to request a forbearance plan. Your loan servicer is the company that

collects your mortgage payments.

Forbearance lets you pause or reduce your loan payments for a period of time, without paying late fees or other penalties. Under a recent law, you may be able to request up to 12 months of

mortgage forbearance on a VA direct or VA-backed home loan.

Note: Forbearance doesn’t lower or forgive the amount of money you owe on your loan. You’ll need to work with your servicer at the end of the forbearance period to set up a repayment plan.

Call 877-827-3702 to talk with a VA home loan representative to request a forbearance plan or other help. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. If you have hearing

loss and would like help to make a TTY call, call TTY: 711.

Your loan servicer is BSI Financial Services. To request a forbearance plan, contact the BSI default resolution team at 800-327-7861 or [email protected]. You can also call

877-827-3702 to talk with a VA home loan representative about other ways we can help you. 

Get more help from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB):

Yes. If you’re struggling because of life situations like losing your job, having a sudden decrease in income, or having an increase in out-of-pocket family health care expenses, we can

help. You can request financial hardship assistance to manage your current VA copay debt or request an exemption from future copays. 

You can also call our Health Resource Center at 866-400-1238 to talk to someone about your options.

We base eligibility for VA health care on several factors, like your military service, discharge status, and whether you have a service-connected disability.

If you’ve lost your job or have a reduced income, you may qualify for enhanced eligibility status based on your income. This means we’ll place you in a higher priority group, which makes you

more likely to get benefits and affects how much (if anything) you’ll need to pay for care.

If you’re not eligible for VA health care, you may still be able to get care.

Call us at 800-827-1000 to find out what your care options may be. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.

We offer many programs and services that may help—including free health care and, in some cases, free limited dental care. We can also help you connect with resources in your community, like

homeless shelters or faith-based organizations.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought new scams, including those that target stimulus checks, online tools, promises of new treatments, and charity donations.You can take these steps to

protect your identity and finances during this time:

No. We won’t count any money received as part of the COVID-19 stimulus package as income for VA disability compensation, individual unemployability (TDIU), VA pension, or parent Dependency

and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) beneficiaries. This means your payments will stay the same.

Yes. VA national cemeteries remain open. But for the safety of employees and visitors, we ask that visitors follow physical distancing and travel restrictions based on CDC and local health

department guidelines.

Some cemetery areas may be closed to the public. You should contact the cemetery for more information.

Find updates on the operating status of individual VA national cemeteries 

Yes. To schedule an interment, contact the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. VA national cemeteries remain open for direct interments of Veterans and eligible dependents.

Families must follow all COVID-19 safety requirements for attendee limits, masks, and physical distancing. 

If you would like to cancel or postpone an interment that’s already scheduled, please contact the cemetery directly to cancel the service and to reschedule future services when ready.

Yes. We’re holding committal and memorial services again at most VA national cemeteries. We’ve been contacting families who were unable to hold a service due to the pandemic so we can help

them arrange one. Military honors are based on local availability.

Families must follow all COVID-19 safety requirements for service attendee limits, handling floral arrangements, wearing masks, and physical distancing. 

Conditions and restrictions at local cemeteries can and will change in response to state, local, and federal guidelines and orders. Contact your local cemetery for specific information or

details.

Get operating status updates for individual VA national cemeteries