Initial VA Appointment: What to Bring, Costs, and Travel Pay

What to expect at your first VA appointment is mostly paperwork and conversation, not procedures. A provider will confirm your enrollment, walk through your full health history, ask about anything connected to your service, run a toxic exposure screening, and set up follow-up care. Bring your DD-214, a current medication list, any civilian and military medical records you have, insurance cards, photo ID, and a written list of the health concerns you want to raise.

Enroll Before the Visit

Enrollment and your first medical appointment are two separate steps, and getting enrolled first saves time in the exam room. You apply using VA Form 10-10EZ, which takes about 35 minutes online at VA.gov.¹ Signing in with Login.gov or ID.me lets the system pre-fill some of your military service information and save your progress for up to 60 days. You can also apply in person at a VA medical center or by mail.

Once your application is processed, the VA calls to confirm enrollment, help schedule your first appointment, and answer questions about benefits.² If you asked for an appointment on the application, the VA schedules it and mails a notice with the date and time.

One point that trips people up: enrolling in VA healthcare is not the same as filing a disability compensation claim. Enrollment gets you access to care. A disability claim is a separate process that evaluates whether a condition is connected to your service. You can pursue both at once, but neither triggers the other.

What to Bring

The single most important document is your DD-214, which proves your service dates, discharge status, and eligibility.¹ If you applied online, the VA may already have your service information, but a copy in hand prevents delays. If you’ve lost yours, you can request a replacement through the National Archives, and the VA can request it on your behalf when they receive your benefits application.³

Along with the DD-214, gather:

Medical records, both military service treatment records and civilian records covering your health history, current conditions, and past treatments. The VA may already have some military records, but copies fill any gaps.⁴
A full medication list: every prescription, over-the-counter drug, vitamin, and supplement you take, with dosages.
A written list of your health concerns, including symptoms, service-related injuries or illnesses, how they affect daily life, and treatments you’ve already tried. Specifics beat generalities.
Financial information for you, your spouse, and dependents, plus deductible expenses. The VA uses this to set your priority group and copay responsibilities.¹
Any health insurance cards, including Medicare, employer coverage, or a spouse’s plan.
Photo ID: driver’s license, state ID, or Social Security card for check-in.

Checking In

Plan to arrive about 15 minutes before your scheduled time. Many VA facilities now let you check in with your smartphone instead of waiting at the front desk. If you’ve opted in to VEText reminders, you’ll get a text with a check-in link about 45 minutes before your appointment. You can also text “check in” to 53079 to get the link.⁵ The system asks identity-confirmation questions, lets you verify your contact and emergency information, and offers to file a travel pay claim on the spot. Check-in opens 45 minutes before your appointment and closes 15 minutes after it. If the smartphone option isn’t available at your facility, the front desk handles it the traditional way.

If you’ve waited more than 15 minutes past your appointment time without being called, let someone at the desk know.

What Happens in the Exam Room

The heart of this visit is a conversation. Your provider will ask about your full health history, current symptoms, any conditions that might be tied to your military service, and how those issues affect your daily routine. Expect detailed questions about when symptoms started, whether they’ve worsened, and what you’ve already tried. A basic physical exam is common but usually not extensive at this stage.

If enrollment wasn’t fully processed beforehand, the healthcare team may finalize it during the visit. They’ll walk you through the services you qualify for, which can include primary care, mental health support, and specialty referrals. This is the moment to ask about anything that’s unclear: how to refill prescriptions through the VA pharmacy, how to schedule future visits, or what happens if you need care outside the VA system.

Mental health belongs in this conversation too. If you’re dealing with anxiety, depression, PTSD, or anything else, tell your provider. You don’t need a referral to raise it, and care for conditions like military sexual trauma is provided at no cost.⁶ If you or a veteran you know is in crisis, the Veterans Crisis Line is available 24/7: dial 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net. You don’t need to be enrolled to use it.⁷

Toxic Exposure Screening

Under the PACT Act, every enrolled veteran gets a toxic exposure screening, typically 5 to 10 minutes of questions designed to document any hazards you encountered during service.⁸ It covers burn pits and airborne particulates, pesticides and herbicides, contaminated water, asbestos and industrial solvents, depleted uranium, radiation from nuclear weapons handling or submarine service, and chemical or biological warfare agents. The list isn’t exhaustive, so mention anything you were exposed to even if it doesn’t fit a category. You’ll be rescreened at least once every five years.

This screening matters because it creates an official record linking your service to potential exposures. That record can support a future disability claim or qualify you for additional health monitoring. Don’t downplay what you experienced.

What It Costs

What you pay depends on your priority group. After enrollment, the VA assigns you to one of eight groups based on your disability rating, income, and service history.⁹ Lower group numbers mean higher priority and generally lower costs.

Two rules cut across everything. Treatment for any condition the VA has determined is connected to your military service is free, regardless of priority group or rating.⁶ And veterans in priority group 1 (a rating of 50% or higher, unemployability due to a service-connected disability, or Medal of Honor recipients) pay no copays for anything, medications included.¹⁰

For veterans in priority groups 2 through 8 getting care for a non-service-connected condition, the 2026 copay rates are $15 for a primary care visit, $50 for a specialty care visit or specialty test (MRI, CT scan), and no charge for X-rays, lab tests, preventive screenings, and immunizations. These rates took effect January 1, 2026.¹⁰

Prescription costs for priority groups 2 through 8 depend on the tier and supply length. A 30-day supply in 2026 runs $0 for Tier 0 (select prescriptions and OTC medicines), $5 for Tier 1 (preferred generics), $8 for Tier 2 (non-preferred generics and some OTC medicines), and $11 for Tier 3 (brand-name medicines). Costs scale for 60- and 90-day supplies. Once you’ve paid $700 in medication copays within a calendar year, you won’t be charged for additional medications for the rest of that year.¹⁰

Before You Leave

Your care team will schedule any follow-ups and referrals. From here on, you can manage appointments online through My HealtheVet on VA.gov, along with health records, secure messaging, and prescription refills.¹¹ If you have prescriptions from a civilian provider, ask about transferring them to the VA pharmacy; VA fills often cost significantly less than retail, so it’s worth pursuing even with other insurance.²

You’re also eligible for a Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC), the photo ID you’ll use to check in going forward.¹¹ You’ll usually have your photo taken at a VA facility, and the card arrives by mail in 7 to 14 days. If it hasn’t arrived within 10 days of your photo, call the facility where the picture was taken.

Travel Pay

The VA reimburses eligible veterans at 41.5 cents per mile for round-trip travel to approved medical appointments, calculated on the fastest and shortest route to the closest VA or authorized non-VA facility that can provide the care you need.¹² You qualify if at least one of these applies: a disability rating of 30% or higher, traveling for treatment of a service-connected condition (even with a rating below 30%), receiving a VA pension or income below the maximum annual VA pension rate, unable to afford travel costs under VA guidelines, or traveling for a C&P exam, to get a service dog, or for VA-approved transplant care.¹³

File within 30 days of the appointment. Claims submitted after 30 days are usually denied. You can file during smartphone check-in, at a kiosk in the facility, or online through the Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS).¹³ Ask at your first visit if you think you qualify; many veterans don’t realize it’s available.

If Something Goes Wrong

Not every first experience with the VA goes smoothly. If you hit problems with enrollment, scheduling, or the care itself, start by raising the issue with your treatment team. If that doesn’t resolve it, every VA medical center has a patient advocate whose job is to help veterans work through complaints and connect them with the right people.¹⁴ Ask at the front desk, or find contact information for your facility at VA.gov. Using an advocate isn’t a sign anything has gone unusually wrong; the system is large, and advocates help it work the way it’s supposed to.

1
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Apply for VA Health Care
2
Veterans Affairs. After You Apply for Health Care Benefits
3
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Request Your Military Service Records (Including DD214)
4
National Archives. Veterans’ Medical and Health Records
5
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. How to Check In With Your Smartphone for Some VA Appointments
6
Veterans Affairs. Your Health Care Costs
7
VA Mental Health. Suicide Prevention
8
VA.gov. All Things PACT Act 101 Overview
9
Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. VA Priority Groups
10
Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. Current VA Health Care Copay Rates
11
Veterans Affairs. Get a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
12
Veterans Affairs. Reimbursed VA Travel Expenses and Mileage Rate
13
Veterans Affairs. File and Manage Travel Reimbursement Claims
14
Veterans Health Administration. Patient Advocate