Choose the path that fits your question
01 / NavigationHow does VA Community Care work?Eligibility, referral, provider search, scheduling, and authorization.02 / Chronic painWhere can Veterans find chronic pain care?Start with your VA team, then consider available specialty and community options.03 / mTBIWhat if symptoms persist after a concussion?Evaluation, Polytrauma/TBI services, pain, and coordination.04 / ChecklistWhat should I confirm before an outside appointment?Six questions to reduce referral and billing surprises.
What Veterans and providers told us
In three public discussions, people described difficulty finding an office that currently accepts VA Community Care, uncertainty about who contacts whom, delays when an authorization expires, and records that do not reach the next clinician. Others reported smooth access and valued their community clinicians. These are individual experiences, not official rules or a survey. We used them to choose questions this site should answer; the steps themselves come from VA guidance. Read our source and review method.
Where Valor fits
Valor is a home-based, guided virtual-reality and coaching program for selected people living with chronic pain. Your treating team decides whether it fits your plan. These resources do not imply that Valor is part of VA Community Care, is covered by VA, or treats mTBI. For a program question, use the Valor contact page and leave medical details out of the form.
Patient guides for living with pain
Browse 32 Veteran guides by topic. Each article links its sources and offers questions to discuss with your care team.
After surgery
Still hurting months after surgery? A guide for VeteransStill hurting months after surgery? Learn what to tell your VA care team, when to seek help, and how to ask for a follow-up pain plan.Why can pain persist after surgery? A guide for VeteransUnderstand why pain can persist after surgery and what to ask your VA care team about nerve sensitivity, assessment, and treatment goals.Pain management after surgery: a checklist for VeteransGet a practical pain-plan checklist for Veterans leaving surgery: medicine questions, side effects, activity limits, and VA follow-up.
Understanding pain and assessment
Chronic low back pain: a movement plan for VeteransPlan movement for chronic low back pain with your VA care team. Prepare physical therapy questions, daily goals, and clear follow-up steps.What is a biopsychosocial pain assessment? A Veteran’s guideLearn what a biopsychosocial pain assessment covers and how Veterans can prepare questions about symptoms, sleep, coping, and VA care.Coping with chronic pain: a flare-up plan for VeteransBuild a chronic pain flare-up plan with your VA care team: activity adjustments, support contacts, medicine questions, and warning signs.Pain neuroscience education: what Veterans can expectWhat can pain neuroscience education help Veterans understand? Review the evidence, prepare appointment questions, and ask about appropriate support.MRI for back pain: what Veterans should ask about the scanLearn when MRI can help with back pain, why findings may not match symptoms, and what Veterans should ask their clinician about the report.Central sensitization treatment: questions for VeteransLearn what central sensitization treatment can involve, which questions Veterans can bring to VA, and how to ask Valor about its home-based program.Allodynia treatment: questions Veterans can bring to careWhen light touch hurts, assessment comes first. Learn about allodynia treatment options and questions Veterans can bring to their care team.Fibromyalgia diagnosis: a guide for VeteransLearn how fibromyalgia is assessed, what blood tests can establish, and which questions Veterans can bring to a VA appointment about pain, sleep, and care.
Virtual reality and immersive care
Can VR help Veterans with chronic pain? What the VA resources showA Veteran guide to what a VA facility study and the 2024 VA evidence review show about virtual reality for pain, including benefits and limitations.Your first VR session for pain: a Veteran's guidePrepare for a first VR session with questions about comfort, controls, safety, and follow-up, informed by VA immersive technology resources.VR for pain at home: questions Veterans should ask before startingQuestions Veterans can ask before starting VR at home, including program fit, device trials, privacy, support, and measuring progress.VR for chronic pain: changing how your body feelsExplore how VR can change body perception in chronic pain, what embodiment studies show, and questions Veterans can ask before considering a program.
Movement, rehabilitation and mirror therapy
Graded motor imagery: a Veteran's guide to the steps and evidenceUnderstand graded motor imagery, its three stages, the limits of the evidence, and what Veterans should ask a rehabilitation clinician.Mirror therapy for CRPS: what Veterans should ask before startingLearn what mirror therapy may offer Veterans with CRPS, what the evidence says, and how to ask your VA care team about rehabilitation.Mirror therapy for phantom limb pain: a Veteran's guideExplore mirror therapy for phantom limb pain, VA/DoD guidance, and how Veterans can contact a VA amputation care team to discuss treatment.Chronic pain rehabilitation: choosing a program as a VeteranCompare chronic pain rehabilitation options as a Veteran. Ask about staffing, home-based support, VA referrals, and the details of Valor’s program.Physical therapy for CRPS: a guide for VeteransLearn what CRPS physical therapy may involve, how to discuss symptom changes, and how Veterans can ask about rehabilitation and VA referrals.
Mindfulness, coping and support
Mindfulness for chronic pain: a Veteran’s guideExplore mindfulness for chronic pain, what a large VA trial found, and questions Veterans can ask about supported programs and daily-life goals.Body scan meditation for pain: options for VeteransLearn how a body scan works, ways Veterans can adapt the practice, when to pause, and where to find VA instructions and guided resources.Mindfulness and PTSD: what Veterans should knowUnderstand MBSR for PTSD, why meditation can sometimes increase distress, and what Veterans can ask their care team before starting a course.Chronic pain self-management programs: a Veteran’s guideFind out what a chronic pain self-management program can offer Veterans. Prepare questions about VA options, home-based support, and program fit.Pain psychology: what Veterans can expectLearn what pain psychology and CBT for chronic pain can offer Veterans, what benefits are realistic, and which questions to bring to a VA referral.How to help a Veteran with chronic painSupport a Veteran with chronic pain through practical help, shared planning, and care-team questions. Find VA caregiver resources and program inquiry options.Pain catastrophizing: a Veteran guide to pain-related worryUnderstand pain catastrophizing, practical ways to work with pain-related worry, and how Veterans can ask VA about cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain.
Medication and recovery
Opioid tapering: a conversation guide for VeteransPrepare for an opioid tapering conversation with your VA or community clinician. Learn what to ask about pain care, follow-up, and medication safety.Opioid dependence vs. addiction: what Veterans should knowUnderstand opioid dependence, tolerance, and opioid use disorder. Find questions for your VA care team and evidence-based treatment resources for Veterans.Pain management contracts: a guide for VeteransUnderstand pain management agreements, monitoring, and refill questions. Prepare for a conversation with your VA or community clinician before signing.Chronic pain and addiction recovery: a care guide for VeteransPlan coordinated care for chronic pain and addiction recovery. Find Veteran care-team questions, VA resources, and realistic expectations for treatment.Non-opioid pain management: a guide for VeteransExplore non-opioid pain management options, what new medicines can and cannot do, and how Veterans can ask their VA team for a coordinated care plan.
VA resources and research
Explore four VA publications and one journal study conducted in VA care. The evidence review, practical guides, and literature collection serve different purposes. Browse the annotated resource library for reading pointers and evidence limitations.
Systematic review · March 2024Extended Reality Interventions for Chronic PainVA Evidence Synthesis Program. The best starting point here for comparing evidence by pain condition and intervention. The review includes 60 primary studies and assesses benefits, harms, and certainty.Single-site evaluation · October 5, 2021Effect of Immersive Virtual Reality on Pain and Anxiety at a Veterans Affairs Health Care FacilityRawlins et al. · Frontiers in Virtual Reality. A before-and-after evaluation of 79 Veterans using VR at a VA health system. Useful for understanding immediate responses and the experience of a first session.Implementation guide · Summer 2024VA Immersive PlaybookVA Immersive. Explains how teams plan immersive technology services, including training, privacy, home use, documentation, and follow-up.Technology introduction · Summer 2023 editionIntroductory Guide to Immersive TechnologyVA Immersive. Introduces VR, AR, XR, headset features, and interaction methods. A useful vocabulary guide before a clinical demonstration.Literature compendium · June 3, 2024Immersive Virtual Reality in Health Care Literature CompendiumVA Immersive. A collection of citations and abstracts across nine health care topics. Use it to locate papers relevant to a specific condition or treatment.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Can I book any community provider and ask VA to pay later?
For routine community care, VA says your health care team must approve a referral before you schedule. Urgent and emergency care follow different rules.
Does a provider listing guarantee the office is accepting referrals?
No. Confirm the exact clinician, service, location, and appointment availability with the office and your VA community care team.
Evidence and context
Sources used on this page
VA pages are the authority for care and referral steps. Reddit discussions are cited as individual experiences and questions, never as VA rules.
- VA: Eligibility for community care outside VA
- VA: How to get community care referrals and schedule appointments
- Reddit: Community Care is a nightmare
- Reddit: VA Community Care process
- Reddit: Being a VA community care provider