Disaster help
If you’re affected by a natural disaster, we can help make sure you continue to get your VA benefits and health care. Keep reading on this page to learn how we can help.
A natural disaster may affect the status and operating hours of VA facilities. You can check if your local VA facility is open.
Find your nearest VA facility
Note: If you think your life or health is in danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
How to contact us
Veterans Crisis Line
If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, connect with a Veterans Crisis Line responder anytime day or night:
- Call 988 and select 1
- Start a confidential chat
- Text 838255
- For TTY, call 711 then 988
Note: If you think your life or health is in danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
MyVA411 main information line
If you need help finding out where to go for care or have questions about VA resources available to you, call the MyVA411 main information line at 800-698-2411. We’re here 24/7. If you need an interpreter, select 0. We’ll connect you with a VA call center agent. Tell the agent that you want a language interpreter to join the call.
Ask VA online tool
Natural disasters may affect your ability to reach us by phone. You can send us your questions through the secure Ask VA online tool. A VA representative who’s familiar with the topic you’re asking about will respond.
Contact us online through Ask VA
For housing assistance
If you need help with housing or your VA home loan after a disaster, we’re here to support you.
How can I get help right away if I’m homeless or unhoused?
If you or a Veteran you know needs immediate housing assistance after a natural disaster, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at
How can I get health care and benefits if I’m at a shelter?
If you’ve relocated to a shelter or a disaster recovery center because of a natural disaster, we may have already deployed a team to connect you with the health care and benefits you need. If you need help finding housing, we’ll assign you to a case manager.
Learn more about disaster recovery centers on the FEMA website
How do I get help with repairs if my home was damaged?
- Contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin the disaster application process online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800‐621‐3362.
- Contact your mortgage company if you're unable to or are having trouble making your mortgage payments.
- Contact your insurance company to file an insurance claim as soon as possible. However, don't make a hasty settlement on insurance.
In addition, if you have previously used a Specially Adapted Housing grant and your adapted primary residence is destroyed or substantially damaged during a disaster, call us at 877‐827‐3702. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.
Learn more about Specially Adapted Housing grants
Download VA Guidance on Natural Disasters (PDF)
Can I get help with my VA-backed home loan?
We encourage mortgage servicers to put a 90-day pause on foreclosures and waive late charges for VA-guaranteed home loans after a disaster. Contact your mortgage servicer if you can’t make your mortgage payments. You can also call us at 877‐827‐3702. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET.
Learn more about what to do after a disaster if you have a VA home loan
If you have a VA home loan and your home was affected by a natural disaster, we encourage you to take these actions to get the help you need.
Contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Make sure to contact FEMA right away to begin the disaster application process. To receive the maximum assistance, you must register with FEMA before their deadline expires.
Begin the disaster application process online at DisasterAssistance.gov
Or you can call 800‐621‐3362.
Check with the Small Business Administration (SBA)
Don’t pay your loan in full before checking with the SBA about a loan for the uninsured portion of your loss. Additional support, including low‐interest loans, cash grants, and housing assistance may be available from agencies associated with the disaster recovery effort.
Contact your insurance company
File an insurance claim as soon as possible. But don’t make a hasty settlement on insurance.
When your property is damaged but repairable, attempt to get your local engineer’s office to inspect your home for structural damage. If possible, get at least 2 estimates from licensed contractors for the cost of repairs or rebuilding.
Insurance checks for personal property and living expenses should be payable to you only. Checks for damage to your home should be payable to both you and your mortgage company.
Check other sources for help
Contact your local offices of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), or other Veterans’ organizations. They may be able to offer special assistance even if you’re not a member.
For VA health care
If you’re enrolled in VA health care and you’re affected by a natural disaster, we may already be in contact with you to learn how we can support you. If we haven’t contacted you, call your nearest VA medical center to speak with the patient advocate team.
Find a VA medical center near you
If you have nonurgent questions, you can reach us through the VA: Health and Benefits app or My HealtheVet secure messaging to schedule an appointment, refill prescriptions, and access your medical records.
Download the VA: Health and Benefits app
Learn more about secure messaging
Urgent care for Veterans in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
If you’re enrolled in VA health care in Florida, South Georgia, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, call the VISN 8 Clinical Contact Center for virtual urgent and tele-emergency care at
How can I get prescriptions and medical equipment?
If a natural disaster has affected your access to needed prescriptions or medical equipment like oxygen tanks, we can work with mobile clinics, home health teams, and community care providers to get you the prescriptions and medical equipment you need.
Our emergency pharmacy service may be deployed during a natural disaster. These self-contained vehicles can serve as an outpatient pharmacy for Veterans in the affected area within a few hours.
For compensation and claims
If you can’t receive your benefit payment because of a natural disaster, call us at
If a natural disaster affects U.S. Postal Service delivery, we know that claims may be delayed getting to us. We also recognize that it may take longer for us to gather the information we need from you so we can process your claim. Instead of mailing your claim, you can also submit a claim and upload evidence online.
For education benefits
A natural disaster may affect your education payments in these ways:
- If your school closes temporarily during a term, your payments will continue until the end of the term or for up to 4 weeks, whichever comes first.
- If your school closes temporarily between terms, your payments will start again when you return to school.
- If your school stays open but you can’t attend, your payments will stop. But if distance learning is offered for the program you’re enrolled in at your school, you have the option to switch to distance learning. If you’re using Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, your payments will continue at the resident housing rate.
- If your school extends the term so there’s a later end date to make up for a period of time when the school was closed, we’ll continue your payments through this later end date.
To keep getting payments while your school is closed, continue to verify your enrollment each month.
Verify your school enrollment for GI Bill benefits
If you have questions, you can call us at 888-442-4551. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
For employment benefits
If you receive VA employment services and you’re affected by a natural disaster, you may qualify for 2 additional months of employee adjustment allowance. Contact your nearest VA regional office to speak with a Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) counselor to learn more.
For life insurance
If you’re affected by a natural disaster, we can provide assistance. We offer instant loan approval online and same-day processing for policy loans.
We also provide same-day processing and approval for these policy actions:
- Withdrawals from dividend credit and deposit accounts
- A claim for when an insured person dies
The Office of Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (OSGLI) follows the disaster alert procedures issued by each state’s Department of Insurance in the event of a natural disaster. These alert procedures generally extend the premium payment period so that insurance coverage doesn’t lapse.
To contact the VA Insurance Center for policies that start with V, RS, W, RH, G, or VM, call us at
To contact OSGLI for VGLI coverage, call us at
For VA national cemeteries
If your loved one’s memorial service was affected by a natural disaster, we may already be in contact with you about rescheduling. If you haven’t been contacted or need to find the operating status of your nearest VA national cemetery, contact the cemetery directly.
To make burial plans for a Veteran, spouse, or dependent family member, call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117 (TTY: 711) . We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET, and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET.
More disaster resources
Where can I find more information about preparing for a disaster?
Here’s a list of other organizations and agencies that can help during a natural disaster:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information on what to do before, during, and after a natural disaster.
Learn more about natural disaster help on the CDC website - The Department of Homeland Security delivers natural disaster-related information and resources organized according to relevant Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mission area.
Find resources on the Department of Homeland Security website - FEMA provides information on current disasters and responses. You can also download the FEMA app for preparedness strategies, real-time weather, and emergency alerts.
Get disaster information on the FEMA website
Download the FEMA app - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) offers in-depth natural disaster insight, weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and climate monitoring.
Get more information on the NOAA website - Ready.gov provides information about disasters and emergencies, including potential disasters and hazards that could affect your area, how to receive emergency alerts, and where to go if you need to evacuate.
Get more information on the Ready.gov website
Learn how to get emergency alerts on the Ready.gov website - The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers many resources, including preparedness checklists, to help businesses plan for an emergency or disaster.
Find prepardness checklists on the SBA website
Learn how to prepare your business for a disaster on the SBA website
What can I do to protect myself from fraud?
Some predators use natural disasters and emergencies to target Veterans. This may include disaster response imposters and scammers claiming they’re from charities offering fake emergency loans.
If you think you may be a victim of fraud, call us at 833-388-7233. We’re here 24/7.
Learn how to protect your identity and your VA benefits from scammers