Flu Shots
Protect yourself. Protect your family. Protect your community.
Get your flu shot today.
During flu season, protecting your health with a flu shot is easier than ever, and as close as one of more than 60,000 community locations. Whether you choose a new Community Care Network (CCN) in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location that provides eligible Veteran patients easy access to flu shots, it's easy for Veterans to receive their flu shot at the right time and the right place.
Eligibility
- Retail pharmacies: Veterans must be enrolled in the VA health care system.
- Urgent care locations: Veterans must be enrolled in the VA health care system and have received care from a VA or in-network community provider in the past 24 months.
To check eligibility, contact your local VA medical facility OR call 844-MyVA311 (844-698-2311), select option 1, and then select option 1 again.
No Appointment or VA Referral is Required
If you’re eligible, simply go to an in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location and present a valid, government-issued identification (e.g. Veterans Health ID Card, Department of Defense ID card, state-issued driver's license or ID card, etc.) to receive your flu shot. Eligible Veterans can receive a no-cost, standard-dose (quadrivalent) or high-dose flu shot.
Before You Go
Print the Flu Shot Information Flyer (or have it viewable on your mobile device) and take it with you to your in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location.
Other options for immunizations
VA now offers expanded access to preventative health care by providing more options for where you can receive your seasonal flu shot. You choose. No-cost flu shots are available at your local VA health care facility or an in-network community retail pharmacy or urgent care location. Your VA medical record will be updated either way.
VA Health Care Facilities
You may receive a no-cost flu shot during any scheduled VA appointment, if you are admitted to one of our VA health care facilities or at one of the convenient walk-in flu stations.
Community Retail Pharmacies and Urgent Care Locations
More than 60,000 sites of care are available in the community where eligible Veterans can receive their flu shot this year. VA has six regional networks that make up its Community Care Network (CCN) that have in-network retail pharmacies and urgent care locations.
Use the VA Facility Locator to find information on hours and locations for your local VAMC, and to find an in‑network retail pharmacy or urgent care facility.
Veterans can find in-network locations in their area by entering:
- City, state or postal code: Enter the appropriate ZIP code for your area
- Facility Type: Select "Urgent Care" OR "Community pharmacies (in VA’s network)"
- Service Type: If "Urgent Care" is selected for Facility Type, choose "Community urgent care
providers (in VA’s network)"
In-network Flu Shot Availability
The following table shows what VA or community in-network availability is for you to receive your flu shot. Veterans should call ahead to make sure the flu shot is available at the location of their choosing
| In-Network Retail Pharmacy | In-Network Urgent Care Location | VA Health Care Facility | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regions 1, 2 & 3 | Available | Available | Available |
| Region 4 | Available | Available | Available |
| Region 5 | Not Available | Available | Available |
| Region 6* | Not Available | Not Available | Available |
|
*Veterans who live in CCN Region 6 can receive a flu shot through the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System’s clinic in Guam, and at flu shot clinics in the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. |
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Non-VA Community Providers and Pharmacies
Many local retail pharmacies offer flu shots that may be covered by private insurance or programs such as Medicare. There may be a charge for your flu shot at these locations. If you do not have insurance, and receive a flu shot at a retail pharmacy that is not within VA's Community Care Network, there will usually be a charge.
Copayments
Eligible Veterans whose visit to an in-network urgent care location that consists of only a flu shot do not incur a copayment. In addition, flu-shot only visits to an in-network urgent care location does not count toward the first three visits per calendar year that determines copayment rates based upon the number of visits and the Veteran's VA eligibility priority group.
View VA Community Care Copayments for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Veterans who live in CCN Regions 1 – 4 can locate an in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location near them by using the VA Facility Locator.
Veterans who live in CCN Region 5 can receive a flu shot through an in-network urgent care location.
Veterans who live in CCN Region 6 can receive a flu shot through the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System’s clinic in Guam, and at flu shot clinics in the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.
VA medical facilities offer no-cost flu shots to Veterans enrolled in VA health care. You are encouraged to visit your nearest VA medical facility each flu season to receive a flu vaccine. If the distance to your local VA medical facility is too great, you have another option. VA has partnered with more than 60,000 in-network retail pharmacies and urgent care locations to provide flu vaccines – at no cost – to eligible Veterans.
Not all flu vaccines are made by the same company. The flu vaccines you receive at VA or an in-network community retail pharmacy or urgent care location will help protect you from the flu this season. VA will pay for standard dose (quadrivalent) and high-dose flu shots.
To learn more about vaccines, visit the VA Public Health website.
No, an eligible Veteran whose visit to an in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location consists only of a flu shot does not incur a copayment.
These no-cost flu shots are available nationwide from September 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021, to eligible Veterans. Vaccines are subject to availability and may be in limited supply after March 1, 2021.
Retail Pharmacies
Veterans must be enrolled in the VA health care system to receive a no-cost flu shot at an in-network retail pharmacy.
Urgent Care Location
Veterans must be enrolled in the VA health care system and have received care from a VA or in-network community provider in the past 24 months receive a flu shot from an in-network urgent care location.
VA shares a file with its third-party administrators (TPAs) that contains a list of eligible Veterans. If the Veteran is enrolled in VA and is included in the eligibility file VA shares with the TPAs, the Veteran will be able to receive the flu shot by showing any government-issued ID. In-network locations can verify with their respective TPA if a Veteran is eligible.
No. Eligible Veterans can receive stand-alone, no-cost flu shots at an in-network retail pharmacy or urgent care location.
No. Eligible Veterans do not require a VA referral. Eligible Veterans simply need to present a government-issued identification (e.g. Veterans Health Identification Card, valid state driver's license, etc.) to receive a flu shot at no cost.
If an ineligible Veteran gets a flu shot an in-network community location, or an eligible Veteran gets a flu shot at an out- of-network location, they may be liable for the cost of the flu shot.
No. The flu vaccine is a highly recommended step that helps you to reduce the potential of contracting the flu and can reduce the severity and length of symptoms if you were to be infected with the flu.
It reduces the chances of getting the flu or severity of complications. There is a well-documented risk of flu in vulnerable populations: residents and employees at long-term care facilities, elderly, those with underlying conditions, and under-served groups such as African Americans and Hispanics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone over the age of two get an annual flu vaccine.
Contacts
For help with eligibility and general questions, call 844-MyVA311
(844-698-2311), select option 1, and
then select option 1 again.
Resources
Disclaimer
This wellness benefit is only for Veterans enrolled in the VA health care system. Family members and TRICARE members are not eligible
Vaccine is subject to availability and may be in limited supply after March 1, 2021. State, age and health-related restrictions may apply. If your local pharmacy is not participating in the VA Community Care Network Urgent Care Program, it may participate in the future as the program expands.
