Appointments
Schedule a VA Appointment
There are many ways for Veterans to make health care appointments.
- If you don’t have VA health care benefits, you can apply now. Apply for VA health care.
- If you’re having a medical emergency, please call 911 or call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255, then press 1.
Schedule an Appointment
By Phone
Follow the instructions on this page on how to make an appointment by phone at this facility.
Online
VA now offers online appointment scheduling for some appointments. We hope to expand the number of VA facilities and types of appointments in the future.
If you have VA health care benefits, you can schedule your VA primary care appointments online if you:
- Are scheduling your appointment with a VA medical facility that accepts online scheduling, and
- Have had a primary care appointment at that VA facility within the last 2 years, and
- Have a My HealtheVet Premium account or DS Logon Premium account (used for eBenefits and milConnect)
With your online account, you’ll also be able to:
- Track the status of requests
- Send messages about requested appointments
- Get notifications about appointments
- Cancel appointments
Upgrade your Existing Accounts
We want to make it easier for you to schedule appointments, refill medications, or leave a message for your doctor/nurse. Please keep these numbers handy:
1. Call the Advice Nurse 1-800-455-0057, option #4, available 24 hr/day, if you are not feeling well and need an urgent appointment.
This nurse can make an appointment for you to be seen or help you decide about the next steps. For medical emergencies please call 911.
2. Call the Patient Scheduling Unit at 1-855-632-8262, available 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Mon-Fri, to schedule the following routine appointments:
- with your doctor or specialists;
- for an eye exam, hearing exam or hearing-aid evaluation (these no longer require a doctor’s referral);
- for a test ordered by your doctor;
- or to leave a message for your primary care team or a specialist team.
3. You may also email your primary care or specialist team for non-urgent matters by signing up at www.myhealth.va.gov. Replies to emails may take up to five business days.
4. If you need to refill a prescription, please call the Pharmacy at 1-800-311-2511.
Please allow 10-14 days for processing and mailing.
Automated services are 24hr/day, live pharmacy tech 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Veterans Crisis Line (24/7 crisis support): 1-800-273-8255
Dial "1" to speak to a VA counselor immediately.
Changing Your Appointment
For a listing of your current appointments, please call the VA Palo Alto Health Care System at 1-800-455-0057.
If you cannot keep an existing appointment, please contact us as soon as you are aware you cannot make your appointment by calling toll-free 1-800-455-0057. This will allow us to reschedule you sooner as well as schedule one of your fellow Veterans for the original appointment date and time.
Information to Help You Decide about Where to Receive Your Care
VA has a regularly updated Access to Care website that provides useful information that can help you to decide the best VA location for you to receive your care. Before making an appointment, you can find out the following information for a VA location:
- Wait times for primary care, mental health, and some of the commonest specialties
- If same day services are available in primary care and mental health
- If Telehealth is available in primary care and mental health
- If it has an emergency room
- Facility contact information
- Veteran satisfaction scores
- Quality information comparing each VA and local area non-VA healthcare facilities
VA is committed to give Veterans the access to care they need, when they need it. When you’re planning your care at VA, you can rely on us to give you the information you need to make informed health care decisions.