As a Veteran you might not know that you may be eligible to use one of the more than 4,000 urgent care locations to treat non-life-threatening conditions. If you are a Veteran enrolled in VA health care and you received care at a VA or in-network provider sometime in the past 24 months, you are eligible. (You can check your eligibility by contacting your local VA health facility. Or by calling 1-800-MyVA411.)
If you need emergency care, you don’t need a VA referral or approval to go to a non-VA emergency room in your community. Be aware that family members cannot use your urgent care benefit.
“Anyone in a life threatening or limb threatening situation needs immediate help from medical professionals at an emergency room,” advises MedicalNewsToday.com, “but urgent care medical professionals can help with many other concerns.” Oftentimes you can get treated much faster in an urgent care clinic than in an emergency room.
The VA offers this advice on how to use your urgent care benefits:
“Find a VA-approved urgent care provider and pharmacy at VA.gov/find-locations before seeking care. Providers can change over time. Before seeking care, print this VA Billing Information Guide for you, your provider, and your pharmacy.
[Here’s] what do to when you arrive at a community urgent care provider:
- Confirm that the provider is in VA’s network. Check for a posted sign or ask a staff member. If you go to an out-of-network urgent care provider, you may have to pay for the full cost of care. By law, VA can’t pay claims for out-of-network providers.
- Show your VA Health Identification Card and fill out the provider’s intake form. [ You can print a copy of the urgent care assistance card or show the card on your mobile device. Click here to download the VA urgent care billing information card.]
- Tell the provider you want to use your VA urgent care benefit. Show the provider your urgent care assistance card if requested. The provider will call the phone number for your region listed on the card to check your eligibility.”
