Make an appointment

Find out how to make, cancel, or reschedule a primary care, mental health, or specialty care appointment at a VA Syracuse health care facility.

Before you make an appointment

You can make an appointment with us if both of the below are true for you.

You're enrolled in VA health care, and
You're registered as a patient at VA Syracuse health care

If you're not yet enrolled in VA health care
Apply for VA health care

If you're not registered at VA Syracuse health care
Register for care here

If you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 or call the Veterans Crisis Line at 988, then press 1.

Primary care appointments

We offer primary care services at all 12 VA Syracuse health care facilities. You can make a primary care appointment online or by phone.

You can schedule your VA Primary Care appointments online if you:

Are scheduling your appointment with a VA medical facility that accepts online scheduling, and
Have had a primary care appointment at that VA facility within the last 2 years, and
Have a My HealtheVet Premium account or DS Logon Premium account (used for eBenefits and milConnect)

Upgrade your Existing Accounts

With your online My HealtheVet Premium account, you’ll also be able to:

Track the status of requests
Send messages about requested appointments
Get notifications about appointments
Cancel appointments

Make or cancel an appointment by phone

Primary care call center

Toll free: 800-221-2883
Direct: 315-425-4400

When reporting for a clinic appointment we ask that you check in no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled appointment time. Every effort will be made to see all patients at their scheduled time; however, in some cases this may not always be possible.

Mental health care appointments

If you're struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, anger, or other issues, we can help. We offer mental health (also called behavioral health) counseling, psychiatric care, and treatment for problems with alcohol and other substances.

How do I talk to someone right now?

If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, connect with our caring, qualified Veterans Crisis Line responders for confidential help. Many of them are Veterans themselves. This service is private, free, and available 24/7.

To 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.

You can also:

Call 911.
Go to the nearest emergency room.
Go directly to your nearest VA medical center. It doesn’t matter what your discharge status is or if you’re enrolled in VA health care.
Find your nearest VA medical center

For mental health care appointments

Call the Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic.

Phone: 315-425-3463

For drug or alcohol evaluation and treatment appointments

Call the Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic.

Phone: 315-425-3463

For walk-in mental health care

If you need help right away, or if you have a referral from another VA provider, one of our counselors will see you the same day. Same-day mental health and psychiatric help is available for both new and established patients.

Available at:

Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic
Map of Syracuse campus
Phone: 315-425-3463
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

For walk-in drug or alcohol evaluation and treatment

Same-day help is available through the Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic.

Available at:

Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic
Map of Syracuse campus
Phone: 315-425-3463
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

Specialty care appointments

If you already have a primary care provider at VA Syracuse health care, you can make a direct appointment for the specialty services listed here. You don't need to get a referral or see your primary care provider first.

For specialty care services not listed here, please contact your primary care provider for a referral.

Preparing for your appointment

Please bring the following to your appointment:

Your Veteran Health ID Card (VHIC). If this is your first appointment, we can help you get your picture taken for your card.
Cards for any other types of health coverage you may have (like Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or private insurance plan).
Your appointment confirmation letter.
List of your current medications including prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and any herbal supplements.

If you have more than one appointment on the same day, you'll get a reminder phone call for each appointment.

If you want to get reminders by text message. Make sure you are signed up for VEText. This service is free, but standard messaging rates from your mobile service provider may apply. Ask about your VEText status when checking in for your next appointment.

If you have more than one appointment on the same day, you'll get one text reminder for all appointments. You can cancel/opt out from using the VEText message reminder service.

If you accidentally opt out of VEText and decide you want to receive appointment text reminders, reply “START” to a previously sent VEText message or text to to reactivate receiving text reminders.

Please call the clinic where your appointment is scheduled, so we can give the appointment time to another Veteran.

For appointments at Syracuse: 315-425-4400
For mental health (behavioral health) appointments: 315-425-3463
For appointments at any of our outpatient clinics: Call the clinic where you scheduled the appointment.

If you miss your appointment without letting the clinic know ahead of time, we'll consider you a "no show" and you'll need to reschedule your appointment.

You can also cancel some appointments online.

Please call us as soon as you can. If you arrive more than 20 minutes late without calling ahead of time, we may have to reschedule your appointment.

For appointments at Syracuse: 315-425-4400
For mental health (behavioral health) appointments: 315-425-3463
For appointments at any of our outpatient clinic: Call the clinic where you scheduled the appointment.