VETERANS PRESS: What basic health care services does VA cover?

We cover preventive care services, like:

• Health exams (including gender-specific exams) 

• Health education (including nutrition education) 

• Immunization against infectious diseases (like flu shots) 

• Counseling on genetic diseases (diseases that run in families) 

We cover inpatient hospital services, like:

• Surgeries 

• Medical treatments 

• Kidney dialysis 

• Acute care (short-term treatment for a severe illness or injury or after surgery) 

• Specialized care (including organ transplants, intensive care for mental and physical conditions, and care for traumatic injuries) 

We cover urgent and emergency care services, like:

• Urgent or emergency care at some VA health facilities. 

• Urgent care for injuries and illnesses that need attention right away, but aren’t life threatening, at urgent care locations that are part of our contracted network. This may include care at a VA-approved: 

Walk-in retail health clinic for minor illnesses like a sore throat or earache

Urgent care facility for more pressing (but not life-threatening) illnesses or injuries that require treatment like splinting, casting or wound care 

To use these services, you’ll need to be enrolled in VA health care, and you’ll need to have received care from us within the past 24 months. Be sure to tell the urgent care provider that you’re using the VA urgent care benefit when you arrive. 

Emergency care in a non-VA hospital, clinic, or other medical setting — only under certain conditions. For us to consider covering non-VA emergency care for a non-service-connected condition, you’ll need to meet several requirements. 

We cover other services and needs, like:

• Mental health services to treat certain issues like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma (MST), depression, and substance use problems. 

• Assisted living and home health care (depending on your needs and income as well as space in the programs). 

• Prescriptions written or approved by a VA doctor. 

Looking for local help and direction? See the “North Idaho Resource Directory” in the Veterans Press and contact one of the resource centers.