VA Mental Health Care Explained

If you are in crisis right now: dial 988 and press 1. It is staffed 24/7 by the Veterans Crisis Line.

Three separate routes exist, and the useful thing to know is that none of them requires you to be enrolled in VA health care.

1. VA mental health care. Treatment for PTSD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use, thoughts of suicide, and issues related to military sexual trauma. It runs from short-term inpatient care through regular outpatient care to supported work settings. VA states plainly that you can use some VA mental health services even if you are not enrolled.

2. Vet Centers. Community-based counseling centers, separate from VA medical centers, and the part of the system most under-used. They offer:

  • individual and group counseling
  • couples and family counseling
  • military sexual trauma counseling
  • bereavement counseling
  • substance use assessment and referral
  • help applying for VA benefits

You do not have to be enrolled in VA health care or receive disability compensation to use one. Vet Centers put their own approach like this: "We look for reasons and means to qualify individuals rather than turn them away."

3. COMPACT Act emergency suicide care. A veteran in acute suicidal crisis can walk into any health care facility — VA or not — and get emergency care at no cost. That covers up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care and up to 90 days of outpatient care, and it applies regardless of enrollment or copay status.

Who is eligible?

Vet Centers are open to any veteran or current service member, including National Guard and reserve component members, who meets one of the qualifying criteria — combat service, military sexual trauma, and others. Family members are eligible too, where their participation supports the veteran's goals, and families of service members and veterans who died, including by suicide, are eligible for bereavement services.

COMPACT Act care requires one of: more than 24 months of active service with a discharge other than dishonorable; more than 100 days in a combat role or in support of a contingency operation, including operating a UAV from elsewhere; or sexual assault or harassment during service.

The practical point is that "I'm not enrolled" and "I never filed a claim" are not reasons to stay away from any of these three. Neither is a discharge you are unhappy about — a Vet Center will look for a way to qualify you, and COMPACT Act eligibility turns on service length rather than a rating.

How do I apply?

  • In a crisis, dial 988 and press 1: Or go to any emergency room. COMPACT Act care is free there and enrollment is irrelevant.
  • Walk into a Vet Center: No enrollment, no claim, no disability rating. Find one on VA's facility locator.
  • Bring your family to the Vet Center: Couples, family and bereavement counseling are all part of the offer.
  • Apply for VA health care anyway, on Form 10-10EZ: It opens up the wider system, even though mental health does not require it.
  • Ask about MST care specifically: It is available regardless of whether you filed a claim or reported the incident at the time.
  • Do not let a discharge characterization stop you: Vet Centers work to qualify people, and COMPACT Act eligibility turns on service length.

Common questions

Do you have to be enrolled in VA health care to get mental health treatment?

No. Some VA mental health services are available without enrollment, Vet Centers require none at all, and COMPACT Act emergency suicide care applies regardless of enrollment or copay status.

What do Vet Centers offer that a VA medical center does not?

Community-based counseling including couples and family counseling, bereavement counseling and military sexual trauma counseling, with no enrollment requirement and no need for a disability rating.

Is emergency care free for a veteran in a suicidal crisis?

Yes. Under the COMPACT Act you can go to any VA or non-VA facility at no cost, covering up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care and up to 90 days of outpatient care.

Can family members use a Vet Center?

Yes, where their participation supports the veteran's or service member's goals. Families of those who died, including by suicide, are eligible for bereavement services.

What is the veterans crisis number?

Dial 988 and press 1. It is staffed 24 hours a day, every day.

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