SAN FRANCISCO – The Department of Veterans Affairs implemented the MISSION Act on June 6.

One of the lesser known provisions of the law established a new urgent care benefit that allows eligible veterans access to urgent and walk-in care at participating clinics in their communities.

This is a giant step forward in terms of convenience for our patients, as eligible veterans do not need to get prior authorization from VA to visit an urgent care provider in VA’s network.

This urgent care benefit is meant to give veterans a convenient way to get treatment for minor injuries and illnesses, such as colds, strep throat and pink eye.

To be eligible for urgent and walk-in care, veterans must be enrolled in the VA health care system and have received care through VA from either a VA or community provider within the past 24 months.

To learn more about how this new benefit works, watch the video above.

Veterans can locate in-network urgent care and retail locations by visiting the Urgent Care Locator.