Title:Convenience and self-service appointment check-in at your fingertips
Author:Doré Mobley, communications specialist for VHA's Office of Media Relations
Date:July 2022
Source:U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs © 2022, Reprinted with permission
Volume:Volume 3 Issue 189
Check-in for your next VA appointment might be different next time you come in. Beginning this summer, some VA facilities will allow Veterans to do one or both of these:
- Start the check-in process up to seven days in advance of the appointment.
- Check in at the clinic using your smartphone on the day of your appointment.
As part of how VA is modernizing the way Veterans receive care, VA received extensive feedback from Veterans and caregivers about how the checking-in process can be made better, especially for those who use assistive technologies to access their benefits online.
VA's Office of Information and Technology, partnering with VHA, has applied this feedback to the design of the new, modernized patient check-in application coming soon to your location.
At all VA locations by the end of August 2022
VA is deploying the application at facilities geographically. Deployment within all VISNs will occur by the end of August 2022.
Five facts Veterans should know about VA's patient check-in application
- Veterans will always have the option to check in for an appointment with a staff member. Using the new mobile app therefore is not a requirement. VA staff are honored to check Veterans in for appointments and to answer questions.
- Veterans will need to check-in at the facility with a staff member on appointment day if they require changes to demographic (contact, next of kin, emergency contact) or insurance information.
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The patient application has two options:
- Pre-check-in helps Veterans confirm demographic information is up to date prior to an appointment. If a clinic offers pre-check-in, Veterans will receive a link through a text message appointment reminder after confirming an appointment.
- Mobile check-in allows Veterans to check-in for an appointment on a smartphone when they arrive at the facility. Upon arrival at a clinic offering mobile check-in, Veterans should locate the poster titled, "Have an appointment? Check in with your phone" prominently on display. They should then text or scan the QR code as directed in the poster to start the process.
- To use the mobile app, Veterans must have a smartphone that is connected to Wi-Fi or cellular service and the phone number on file with VA, as this is how VA verifies your identity. Veterans can update their contact information online.
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The national contract for VetLink kiosks will expire at the end of September 2022.
After that date, Veterans should:
- Use the patient check-in application for self-service check-in or check in with a staff member.
- Submit your travel reimbursement claims through the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS), mail, fax and/or in-person at a VA medical center.