COVID-19 testing at VA
We offer COVID-19 diagnostic lab tests for Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care. We may also offer self-test kits at some VA health facilities. Read this page to learn how to schedule a lab test, get self-test kits, and what to do next based on your results.
Why early COVID-19 testing is important
If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, take a self-test at home or request a lab test appointment at VA. If your result is positive, tell your health care team right away.
If you need treatment, you must start it early for it to work. Some treatments must start within 5 days of your first symptoms.
Get COVID-19 self-test kits
You may be able to get self-test kits in any of these ways:
- If you’re enrolled in VA health care, some VA health facilities may offer self-test kits. Contact your nearest VA health facility to find out if they offer self-test kits.
Find your nearest VA health facility - We’ll also provide self-test kits to Veterans in other situations, depending on local supplies. For example, we’ll provide self-test kits to Veterans who are currently experiencing homelessness and living in shared community spaces.
- Some local pharmacies also offer self-test kits. If you have health insurance, your plan may pay you back for tests. Check with your local pharmacies for more information. There may also be free tests available if you don’t have insurance.
What to do next based on your self-test results
If your self-test results are positive
- If you didn’t take your test during a VA video appointment, take a picture of your test results. You can share this picture with your VA health care team.
- Contact your VA health care team right away. If you need treatment, you must start it early for it to work. Some treatments must start within 5 days of your first symptoms.
- Separate yourself to keep others safe. Isolate for at least 5 days from when you first started having symptoms or from when you tested positive. If you can’t fully isolate, wear a well-fitting mask any time you’re around other people for at least 5 days.
- Tell anyone who you’ve been in close contact with in the past few days that you tested positive. For COVID-19, a close contact is anyone who was less than 6 feet away from you for a combined total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
- Monitor your symptoms. If your symptoms get worse, contact your provider or nearest VA health facility. To get reminders for when to contact your care team or a nurse advice line, you can use our Annie text messaging service.
Subscribe to the Annie text messaging service - If you have any signs of emergency, call 911 or get help right away. Signs of emergency include symptoms like trouble breathing or continued pain or pressure in your chest.
Get the latest COVID-19 symptom information on the CDC website
Note: If your self-test results are positive, you don’t need to schedule a lab test.
If your results are negative
- Consider taking another at-home test in 2 or 3 days.
- Monitor your symptoms. If you have symptoms, you could still have COVID-19 or another illness like the flu. Contact your VA health care team for advice and to schedule a lab test at VA.
Send a secure message to tell your VA provider about your symptoms
Find your provider’s or facility’s phone number - If you have any signs of emergency, call 911 or get help right away. Signs of emergency include symptoms like trouble breathing or continued pain or pressure in your chest.
Get the latest COVID-19 symptom information on the CDC website
If your results are invalid
Follow the test instructions for next steps.
Schedule a COVID-19 lab test at VA
Who can get a lab test at VA
We offer diagnostic lab-based tests (PCR tests) for Veterans who are enrolled in VA health care. We follow testing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
At this time, we don’t charge copays for COVID-19 tests. But if you get the test during an appointment with a health care provider, you may have a copay for the appointment.
How to schedule your lab test
The fastest way to get a test is to request an appointment. You can request an appointment in any of these 3 ways:
- Send a secure message to your VA primary care provider.
Request a test appointment through secure messaging - Request an appointment for a test with your VA primary care provider online.
Request a primary care test appointment online - Or call your VA health care team.
Find your VA health facility’s phone number to request a test appointment
Note: Don’t come in person to a VA health care facility without an appointment, unless you need urgent or emergency care. This helps us keep you and your fellow Veterans healthy and safe.
What to know when you come for your test appointment
- We screen everyone who enters a VA health facility for COVID-19 symptoms.
- You must wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth while you’re in a VA health facility.
- If you have any symptoms that could be COVID-19, call the facility before you come in for your test appointment.
How to get your lab test results
We usually have test results in about 1 to 2 days.
If you were tested at a VA health facility, you can get your test results online as soon as we have them.
Learn how to get your results online
Your VA or community care provider will also call you with your test results when they’re available. If you have concerns about your results, call or send a secure message to your provider.
What to do while you wait for your results
- Continue to follow safe practices. These include practices like wearing a mask, physical distancing, and washing your hands often. Until you get your results, you won’t know if you have an active infection or not.
- Monitor your symptoms. If your symptoms get worse, contact your provider or nearest VA health facility. To get reminders for when to contact your care team or a nurse advice line, you can use our Annie text messaging service.
Subscribe to the Annie text messaging service - If you have any signs of emergency, call 911 or get help right away. Signs of emergency include symptoms like trouble breathing or continued pain or pressure in your chest.
Get the latest COVID-19 symptom information on the CDC website
Note: If you call your facility’s nurse advice line, please know that our nurses can’t give you your test results. They can answer health-related questions. But they don’t have access to your personal health information.
What to do next based on your lab test results
If your lab test results are positive
This means you had an active infection at the time of testing.
- Talk with your provider right away. If you need treatment, you must start it early for it to work. Some treatments must start within 5 days of your first symptoms.
- Monitor your symptoms. If your symptoms get worse, contact your provider or nearest VA health facility. To get reminders for when to contact your care team or a nurse advice line, you can use our Annie text messaging service.
Subscribe to the Annie text messaging service - If you have any signs of emergency, call 911 or get help right away. Signs of emergency include symptoms like trouble breathing or continued pain or pressure in your chest.
Get the latest COVID-19 symptom information on the CDC website
If your lab test results are negative
This means you didn’t have an active infection at the time of testing. It doesn’t mean you haven’t been infected since that time or won’t become infected in the future.
Continue to follow safe practices. These include practices like wearing a mask, physical distancing, and washing your hands often.
Note: This test also won’t tell you if you were infected with the coronavirus in the past. That’s a different type of test called an antibody test.