VA offers veterans nationwide access to emergency telehealth care

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Thursday that veterans across the country who are enrolled in VA care can now receive virtual emergency assessments to determine the severity of medical afflictions.

The new tele-emergency care — or tele-EC — service is designed to connect retired servicemembers with clinical triage nurses, who can then evaluate their symptoms and determine if they require in-person aid. 

“Veterans can get immediate, virtual triage with a VA medical provider who has direct access to their medical records,” VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal said about the new service. “This avoids having to potentially drive to the nearest emergency department and wait to be evaluated, if appropriate.”

Veterans can access the tele-EC service by contacting VA Health Connect — which provides veterans 24/7 access to medical personnel for a variety of healthcare needs — or through the department’s VA Health Chat app. 

In a press release, VA said the resource is not meant to replace hospital visits or physical healthcare checkups but noted that “for veterans in rural areas or those with mobility and transportation challenges, in-person immediate care can be difficult to access.”

VA said it decided to provide nationwide access to tele-EC after it piloted the service in recent months and found that it has “shown promise for veterans.”

The department said early use of the service provided support for 61,182 callers, with 59.4% of those veterans’ needs resolved without them needing to receive in-person urgent care.