If you plan on traveling or relocating this year, with some planning, VA will be with you every mile of the way.
Veterans enrolled in VA health care receive the same standard of care while traveling as they would at home. It’s as simple as coordinating with your VA health care team to ensure you have a plan before you leave.
“If you are relocating or even traveling, VA care coordination has never been more seamless.” said Mallory Murray, VA Traveling/Relocating Veteran coordinator. “Reaching out to your VA provider to request a Traveling/Relocating Veteran Consult and update them about your plans is step one. Additionally, the Traveling/Relocating Veteran Coordinators are a huge help when trying to navigate between VA facilities.”
Notify your VA care team
Temporarily relocated Veterans should notify their VA Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) or specialty care provider/team of the travel destination, temporary address, dates of travel and contact phone number. They should also provide any specific health care questions.
A traveling Veteran coordinator ensures care is coordinated per your provider’s request via the traveling/relocating Veteran consult. This consult helps register you at the new VA and provides a handoff to your new facility. The traveling Veteran coordinators at both sites will work to ensure your care needs are ordered locally and scheduling occurs timely.
Discussing current prescriptions and the plan for getting refills is also essential when talking with your health care team before travel.
All VA medical centers have a Traveling Veteran Coordinator. Notifying your health care team 4-6 weeks before travel is highly recommended to ensure seamless care, particularly if you need medication refills or regular medical appointments.
Resources for traveling Veterans
Use of Secure Messaging within the Home – My HealtheVet – My HealtheVet (va.gov) portal is an easy and additional way for traveling Veterans to access care from their assigned VA health care team.
Need emergency care while traveling? Be ready for anything and learn about VA’s emergency medical care program.
Find a VA facility here
Veterans are encouraged to contact the Foreign Medical Program when traveling outside of the U.S. and U.S. territories.
Also, don’t forget to update your address on file if your mailing address is changing. Updates can be done in minutes online on VA.gov.
While traveling, take advantage of the United States’ 400+ National Parks. Disabled Veterans are eligible for a free National Park Service Lifetime Access Pass.
Emergency preparedness resources to assist Veterans before, during and after an emergency can be found here: Veterans & Emergency Management – VHA Office of Emergency Management (va.gov).
Get more information on seamless care for traveling Veterans.
