Coronavirus FAQs: What Veterans need to know

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. 

Learn how to apply for VA health care 

The fastest way to get a test is to request an appointment.

You can request an appointment in any of these 3 ways: 

• Send a secure message to your VA primary care provider.
  Request a test appointment through secure message
• Request an appointment for a test with your VA primary care provider online.
  Request a primary care test appointment online 
• Or call your VA health care team. 
  Find your VA health facility’s phone number to request a test appointment 

Get answers to more questions about COVID-19 testing at VA

We usually have test results in about 3 to 4 days.  

If you were tested at a VA health facility and you have a My HealtheVet Premium account, you can get your test results online as soon as we have them. If you don’t have a My HealtheVet Premium account, you can get one now. 

Learn how to get your results through My HealtheVet  

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.

Get answers to more questions about COVID-19 testing at VA

• If you didn’t take your test during a VA video appointment, take a picture of your test results. You can share this picture with your VA health care team.
• Contact your VA 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.
• Separate yourself to keep others safe. Isolate for at least 5 days from when you first started having symptoms or from when you tested positive. If you can’t fully isolate, wear a well-fitting mask any time you’re around other people for at least 5 days.
• Tell anyone who you’ve been in close contact with in the past few days that you tested positive. For COVID-19, a close contact is anyone who was less than 6 feet away from you for a combined total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. 
• Monitor your symptoms. If your symptoms get worse, contact your provider or nearest VA health facility. To get reminders for when to contact your care team or a nurse advice line, you can use our Annie text messaging service.
  Subscribe to the Annie text messaging service

• If you have any signs of emergency, call 911 or get help right away. Signs of emergency include symptoms like trouble breathing or continued pain or pressure in your chest.
  Get the latest COVID-19 symptom information on the CDC website

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

Get answers to more questions about COVID-19 testing 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: 

• Chemotherapy units
• Dialysis units
• Emergency departments and urgent care 
• Post-transplant units 

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.

Send a secure message to your care team

Find your nearest VA health facility

Read this list of COVID-19 symptoms:

• Fever or chills
• Cough or sore throat
• Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
• Fatigue (feeling very tired)
• Headache or muscle or body aches
• New loss of taste or smell
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

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.

Note: These are not all possible COVID-19 symptoms.

Check COVID-19 symptoms on the CDC website

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.

Use VA Video Connect for your telehealth appointment

Join video appointments through our VA appointments tool

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 

If you have a scheduled community care 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.

If your community care provider cancels your appointment

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

If you need a referral

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.

Learn about eligibility for community care

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.

Check your address in your VA.gov 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:

• Online.
  Use the My HealtheVet prescription refill and tracking tool
• By mobile device.
  Use our new Rx Refill mobile app
• By phone. Call the number on your prescription label for your VA pharmacy’s automated refill line or to speak to a pharmacy representative. Be sure to have your Rx number from the prescription label and Social Security number ready. 
  Get your Rx number
• By mail. Complete the prescription refill form that came with your medication. Mail the form to the VA pharmacy address listed on your medication paperwork.

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:

• Call the number on your prescription label. Be sure to have your Rx number from the prescription label and Social Security number ready. For some medications, your health care team may need to contact you before you can get more medication.
  Get your Rx number
• Send a secure message to your VA provider
• Call your local VA medical center.
  Find a VA location to renew your prescription

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.

Find out how to pay your copay bill or request help

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.

Learn about VA health care eligibility 

Find out how to apply for VA health care

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

• Get posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment
• Get help for other mental health problems (like depression or substance abuse)
• Get help for mental and physical health problems linked to military sexual trauma (MST)

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. 

Learn more about requesting financial hardship assistance

Play a video about financial hardship options (YouTube)

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.  

View your VA benefit payments online

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.

Find a VA regional office

To file a claim for VA benefits:

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.

• Learn how to file a claim for disability benefits
• Learn how to file a claim for pension benefits
• Learn how to file a claim for GI Bill and related benefits
• Learn how to file a claim for other benefits

To get help with education benefits:

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.

To get help with other benefits:

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.

To check on the status of your claim or appeal:

 Use our online claim status tool

To stay updated on closures or service interruptions:

• Go to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) news page
• Call the benefits hotline toll-free at 800-827-1000.
• Follow us on social media.

VBA Facebook
VBA Twitter: @VAVetBenefits

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.

Learn more about claim exams

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.

Find a VA regional office

Getting help online or by phone

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.

Get VA Video Connect for virtual appointments

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

• Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E)

• Chapter 36 educational and career counseling

• Military service coordinators

• Home loans: We’re working with lenders and appraisers to offer temporary options to continue processing and closing loans remotely. You can continue to work with your lender to follow state and local laws for notarizing documents. And you can designate an attorney-in-fact to use a Power of Attorney to sign documents on your behalf at closing.

• Specially Adapted Housing grants: Our staff can help you complete the grant application process by phone, video, and email.

• Fiduciary claims: We can conduct many field exams by phone. In cases where a phone exam isn’t appropriate, we may do a field exam through VA Video Connect. Our staff will contact you to set up a phone or video exam.

• Transition assistance: You can follow the VA Transition and Assistance Program (TAP) curriculum and other learning modules online. Use your Common Access Card- (CAC-)enabled device to access the course (number TGPS-US006) through the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Joint Knowledge Online website.
  
  Go to the DoD’s Joint Knowledge Online website
  
  You can also explore VA benefits and services online. For more help by phone, ask your DOD TAP manager to connect you with a VA benefits adviser.
  
  Explore VA benefits and services online

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.

Find out how to pay your copay bill or request help

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.

Get the latest updates on COVID-19 debt relief

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.

Find out how to manage your VA benefit debt

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. 

Find out how to pay your copay bill or request help

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.

If you have a VA-backed home loan

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.

If you have a Native American Direct Loan (NADL)

Your loan servicer is BSI Financial Services. To request a forbearance plan, contact the BSI default resolution team at 800-327-7861 or customercare@bsifinancial.com. 

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

Learn more about how we can help you avoid foreclosure

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

• Find a government-approved housing counselor near you 
• Get COVID-19 specific resources
• Call the 24/7 HOPE™ Hotline at 888-995-4673 

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. 

Learn more about requesting financial hardship assistance

Play a video about financial hardship options (YouTube)

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.

Learn about VA health care eligibility 

Find out how to apply for VA health care

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

• Get posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment
• Get help for other mental health problems (like depression or substance abuse)
• Get help for mental and physical health problems linked to military sexual trauma (MST)

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.

Find the support you need:

• Call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You’ll talk privately with a trained VA counselor for free.
• Contact your nearest VA medical center and ask to talk with a VA social worker. If you’re a female Veteran, ask for the Women Veterans Program Manager.
  Find the nearest VA medical center to talk with a VA social worker

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:

• Use only IRS.gov to register for or get information about your stimulus check (also called an economic impact payment). Remember, unless you’ve asked to be contacted, the IRS will never contact you to ask for personal or financial information or ask you to open an attachment or visit a website link.
  Get more information about your stimulus check on the IRS website
• Protect your information when using online tools and mobile applications. Get step-by-step instructions on how to securely access and manage your VA health care and other benefits. 
  Go to our video on privacy best practices for Veterans (YouTube) 
  
  Go to our video on authentication methods for signing in to mobile apps and VA.gov (YouTube)
• Stay aware of the latest scams. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers tips for how to avoid coronavirus-related scams.
  Get tips to avoid scams on the FTC website
• Protect your identity at all times. Research shows scammers and identity thieves often target Veterans.
  Learn how to protect your identity

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. 

Learn more about VA cemetery safety requirements

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. 

Learn more about VA cemetery safety requirements

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

Find your local VA cemetery