Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

AFTER you have Applied and been approved for VA Health care you can get yourself a VHIC.

AFTER you have Applied and been approved for VA Health care you can get yourself a VHIC.

Benefits of the VHIC

The VHIC has various benefits:

Allows for quicker check-ins to your appointments at your VA medical center (VAMC), at the self-help kiosks.
Can be used to show proof of Veteran status to get discounts offered to Veterans at many stores, businesses, and restaurants.
Veterans whose VHIC says 'service connected' can use the ID to Access to military installations, commissary, exchange and MWR retail privileges.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The VHIC is NOT a credit or insurance card! It does NOT pay copays or authorize care at non-VA facilities!

There are two ways to obtain a VHIC:

1. Click Here.

2. Upload a color picture of yourself.

Pictures MUST meet ALL of the following criteria:

Taken within the last 6 months;
White or off-white background;
Eyes are open, without your hair covering your eyes or ears;
Full front view of your face (no hats, head coverings, face coverings, headphones, or eyeglasses), and;
Be cropped: Picture should be a square shape from your shoulders up (like a passport photo).

3. Upload a picture of your valid Federal, state, or local government-issued photo ID showing your name, address, and date of birth.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

The address on your ID MUST match the address that the VA has for you! If your address is out of date click Here to update it.
Pictures must be saved as a .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .gif, or .tiff file.

Schedule an appointment with your Nearest VA medical center's enrollment coordinator.
Bring a valid Federal, state, or local government-issued photo ID showing your name, address, and date of birth to your appointment.

Note:

If your ID doesn’t show your CURRENT address, you’ll need to bring a separate document to confirm your address. This could be a utility bill, voter registration card, or another mailed letter.

Around 2 weeks if you live in the US. If you live overseas, it can easily take over a month.

If you made an online request, you can call the VA at 877-222-8387. If you went in-person, you should call the VAMC that you went to.