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Emergency vs. Urgent Care: What’s the difference?

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By Abby Woodruff, Public Affairs Specialist

Have you ever found yourself feeling unwell or injured, unsure of where to seek help? Or worried that your nearest urgent care facility might not be covered by your insurance? You're not alone—many of us have faced this dilemma.

Understanding the distinctions between emergency, urgent, and primary care can be crucial not only for your health but also for timely access to the appropriate treatment.

Below, we will explore different types of care, who to contact and important information regarding you VA care. 

To learn more about the differences with emergency and urgent care, visit here.

First Steps

Call our local nurse hotline at (615) 225-3700 for questions on where you should go. 

Or call or chat with VA Health Connect to talk with a nurse and figure out what type of care you need before going to urgent care or the emergency room. A nurse can evaluate your symptoms, provide recommendations, arrange a virtual or face-to-face appointment with a medical provider if necessary, or even connect you to a tele-emergency care provider.

VA Health Connect is here for you 24/7/365. Contact us when you need to talk to someone right away, day or night, including weekends and holidays. Always go to the emergency room or call 911 if your life or health are in immediate danger. Call 988 and press 1 if you’re having a mental health crisis.

Learn more about VA Health Connect here.

Emergency Care

The Nashville emergency room is open 24/7, with no appointment required. Emergency care is for an injury, illness or symptom so severe that a delay in seeking immediate medical attention would be hazardous to your life or health. Such life-threatening major illnesses or injuries could include severe chest pain, seizures, loss of awareness, heavy uncontrollable breathing or severe burns.

For emergency care, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away. Please note that VA can only pay for a Veteran’s emergency care under certain conditions. We’ll go over this in the next section.

Signs of a physical emergency 

Get emergency help right away for any symptoms like these:

  • Trouble breathing
  • Falling without a known cause
  • Cuts that won’t stop bleeding, severe burns, or wounds that won’t close
  • Stroke symptoms (like slurred speech, sudden numbness or weakness in a part of your body, loss of balance or vision, or a drooping face)
  • Chest pain or discomfort (like pressure, squeezing, or a feeling of fullness in your chest) 
  • Severe allergic reaction symptoms (like swelling lips or trouble swallowing or breathing) 
  • Vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain during pregnancy

Also get emergency help right away for head injuries, especially if you have any of these symptoms after the injury:

  • Severe dizziness or loss of consciousness (passing out)
  • Vomiting or nausea that won’t stop
  • High fever with a headache or stiff neck
  • Seizures
  • Dilated pupils
  • Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears

These symptoms aren’t all the signs of an emergency. When in doubt, get help right away.

What if I can’t make it to a VA Emergency Room? 

If you think your life or health is in danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. You don’t need to check with VA first.

But if you go to a non-VA facility—even one that’s in the community care network—you must follow certain rules so that we can cover the cost of your care.

We must get notified of your care within 72 hours

Ask the provider to notify us right away in either of these ways:

VA must get the notification within 72 hours of when your emergency care starts. 

However, it is important to only visit an emergency room when there is an emergency. Emergency coverage is not guaranteed as there will be a clinical review. 

To learn more about emergency care at non-VA facilities, please visit here.

Urgent care

If you’re an eligible Veteran, you can get urgent care at VA medical centers and in‑network urgent care providers near you. Use urgent care for minor injuries and illnesses that aren’t life-threatening—like strep throat, sprained muscles, and skin and ear infections. 

Urgent care might be right for you if you have health problems or symptoms like these:

  • A sore throat or persistent cough
  • Strains, sprains, or minor broken bones 
  • Deep cuts that are no longer bleeding a lot
  • Allergies
  • Mild burns
  • Mild nausea or vomiting
  • Urinary tract infection symptoms (like needing to pee often or urgently, or urine that looks cloudy or smells bad)

Urgent care coverage

You can get urgent care at VA medical centers and in‑network community providers, if both of these descriptions are true for you:

  • You’re a Veteran enrolled in VA health care, and
  • You received care at a VA or in-network provider in the past 24 months (2 years)

To check your eligibility, call us at 800-698-2411 (TTY: 711).

These are examples of covered services:

  • Care for minor injuries and illnesses (like strep throat, pink eye, sprained muscles, and skin and ear infections)
  • Diagnostic services like X-rays and some types of lab tests
  • Some types of medicines and vaccines

To learn more about your urgent care options, visit here.

How do I find an in-network urgent care? 

You can find an in-network urgent care near you here. 

Under “facility type,” select “urgent care.”

Co-pay

Don’t pay anything at the time of your visit. If you have a copay, you will receive a bill.

You can visit urgent care any number of times per year. However, you might have a copay based on how many times you go to urgent care in a year and your priority group. 

Copays for urgent care are $30 in some cases. 

More urgent care information

Urgent care isn’t a replacement for your primary care provider (PCP). And your urgent care benefit doesn’t cover the preventive health services your primary care provider offers.

Use urgent care when you need treatment right away for minor illnesses and injuries. If you think the urgent care provider won’t understand your medical history or medicines, contact your primary care provider.

To learn more about pharmacy and travel information, visit here.

Pharmacy questions

You must visit an in-network pharmacy location in the same CCN region as your community provider visit to avoid any issues filling your prescription. 

Use the VA Facility Locator to find an in-network pharmacy here. 

Download this document for more information on pharmacy billing. 

Primary care

Every VA medical center offers some same-day primary care and mental health services. Types of services vary by location. At VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, the Nashville VA, Alvin C. York VA, Chattanooga VA, and Clarksville VA locations offer same-day care services Monday through Friday.

Veterans can be seen for symptoms such as sore throat, ear pain, acute back pain, bites, stings, new onset of vertigo and rashes. 

Do NOT arrive to a VA clinic with life-threatening conditions, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, etc. VA outpatient clinics do not have the capability to provide urgent or emergent care. 

For VA emergency care, visit the Nashville VA Medical Center

For VA urgent care, visit the Alvin C. York Medical Center.

Hotline information

If you are unsure of where to go, always call the nurse hotline at (615) 225-3700.

To connect with a Veterans Crisis Line responder anytime day or night: