Where can Veterans find care for chronic pain?

Before your appointment

If you are also considering Valor, you can request program information to review with your treating clinician. Asking a question does not establish clinical suitability or coverage.

What should I ask my VA care team?

Bring a short list of symptoms, treatments you have already tried, current medicines, and one activity you want help doing. Ask your team to connect its recommendations to those priorities.

Useful questions include:

• Which findings explain my symptoms, and what still needs assessment?
• Would physical or occupational therapy, a pain clinic, or another service help address my goals?
• Are there options I can access closer to home or remotely?
• Who will place any referral, and how will I learn its status?
• When will we review whether the plan is helping?

For pain-management skills, ask about CBT-CP. VA describes it as a treatment that helps Veterans manage pain’s effects, participate in meaningful activities, and handle flare-ups. Your care team can explain how to access it. VA CBT-CP information

Why might pain care involve different clinicians?

Persistent pain can require attention to several parts of daily life and health. In his educational talk, physiotherapist Neil Pearson describes how pain and protective responses can interact. That explanation can help frame questions, but it does not identify the cause of an individual Veteran’s symptoms. Neil Pearson’s talk

Ask how the recommended services will work together. A referral for behavioral pain care, for example, should come with a clear explanation of its goals and how it fits alongside other treatment. You deserve to understand the plan.

Can I get chronic pain care outside VA?

Possibly. VA must determine whether you meet Community Care requirements and approve routine outside care. A chronic pain diagnosis alone does not establish eligibility, and a provider’s appointment offer is not the same as VA authorization. VA’s current eligibility guidance

Use the Community Care guide for the referral and appointment sequence. Before the visit, confirm the exact provider, service, and authorization details with your VA team. The referral checklist gives you a place to start.

How do I keep care connected?

Ask who will receive outside visit notes and how recommendations will reach your VA clinician. Clarify who handles prescriptions, further referrals, or requests for more visits. Keep the referring office’s contact details and any authorization letter together.

If something is delayed, start with the team that placed the referral and ask what step remains. If your concern is unresolved, VA’s Patient Advocate program is another route for help communicating with your facility.

Could Valor be part of my plan?

Valor describes a 12-week home-based chronic pain program using guided virtual-reality activities and personalized coaching. Ask what participation involves and what information your treating clinician needs to assess whether it is appropriate. Valor program overview

You can contact Valor with a general program question. For example: “I’m a Veteran looking into home-based chronic pain support. Could you explain the program and what my care team would need to review?” This is a suggested inquiry, not a request to send medical records.

Confirm availability, the ordering route, and payment for your specific situation. This guide does not imply that Valor is part of VA Community Care or covered by VA. VA clinicians can use the information page for VA teams.

What if my symptoms are getting worse?

Contact your health care team promptly for reassessment. Seek emergency care for urgent or dangerous symptoms. Do not use an educational explanation of pain sensitivity to dismiss a new problem or change prescribed medicines on your own.

Guides for your next appointment

• Pain months after surgery
• Why pain can persist after surgery
• Preparing a pain plan after surgery
• Planning movement with chronic back pain
• Preparing for a biopsychosocial pain assessment
• Making a chronic pain flare plan

Source note: Official VA resources support the care-navigation information. Neil Pearson’s video was reviewed through its complete available automatic transcript and selected visual frames. This page offers general education, not an individual treatment or coverage decision. No clinician review is recorded.

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.

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.