Primary & Preventive Care for Women Veterans
Annual wellness, cancer screenings, immunizations, chronic condition management, and nutrition counseling — your starting point for everything the VA covers.
Primary and preventive care is the anchor of everything the VA offers women veterans. It is your annual wellness visit, your cancer screenings, your immunizations, and the ongoing management of chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and thyroid disease — and it is all available at no cost once you are enrolled.
Every VA medical center has Women's Health Primary Care Providers (WH-PCPs) trained specifically to deliver the gender-specific care women need in one setting. You do not have to cobble together separate providers for a Pap test and a blood-pressure check — your WH-PCP handles both, along with referrals when something deeper is needed.
Preventive care is where problems get caught early, when they are cheapest and easiest to treat. If you have been putting off a mammogram, a cervical screening, or a colonoscopy because you were not sure the VA covered it — it does, and it has for a long time.
Your health foundation
Annual wellness, cancer screenings, immunizations, chronic condition management, and nutrition counseling — your starting point for everything the VA covers.
Use the eligibility and access steps on this page to connect with this service without leaving the guide.
Understanding Primary & Preventive Care
Annual wellness visits
A comprehensive exam with your Women's Health Primary Care Provider covering vitals, lab work, screening questionnaires, medication review, and a personal prevention plan tailored to your age, history, and exposures. This is the visit that catches things early.
Cancer screenings the VA covers
Mammograms, Pap tests and HPV testing, colonoscopy or FIT stool tests, skin checks, and low-dose CT lung cancer screening for veterans with smoking history or toxic exposure. If your VA does not have an on-site mammography suite, it arranges the screening in the community at no cost to you.
Immunizations
Flu, COVID, shingles, pneumonia, Tdap, HPV, hepatitis — the VA provides every CDC-recommended immunization at no cost. You do not need a separate pharmacy trip.
Chronic condition management
Ongoing care and monitoring for diabetes, hypertension, thyroid disease, heart disease, asthma, and COPD — coordinated by your primary-care team so nothing falls through the cracks. This includes medication management, lab monitoring, and specialist referrals.
Nutrition counseling
One-on-one work with a VA registered dietitian for weight management, diabetes control, heart-healthy eating, GI conditions, and building sustainable habits — available in person and by telehealth.
Tobacco cessation and healthy-lifestyle support
Free nicotine replacement, counseling, and wellness coaching to help you quit smoking, manage weight, or build an exercise routine — support that extends beyond the exam room.
Do you qualify for Primary & Preventive Care?
You served on active duty, in the Reserves, or in the National Guard and received an other-than-dishonorable discharge.
You are enrolled in VA health care (Form 10-10EZ) — if you have not enrolled yet, the healthcare parent page walks you through it step by step.
You meet income or service-connected eligibility (most women veterans qualify in one category or another — the VA often approves applicants who assumed they were ineligible).
No disability rating is required for preventive care — enrollment is the only gate.
Even veterans with other-than-honorable discharges can access some VA care; a character-of-discharge review may open the door to full enrollment.
If you have been exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, or other toxic substances, the PACT Act expands your eligibility and triggers additional screenings.
Not sure whether you qualify? Eligibility details can be complex. An accredited representative can confirm exactly where you stand before you invest time in applications.
What Primary & Preventive Care actually gives you
Breast cancer screening
Screening and diagnostic mammograms, breast MRI for high-risk patients, biopsy, and full treatment if cancer is found — arranged in the community when not available at your VA facility.
Cervical cancer screening
Pap tests, HPV testing, colposcopy for abnormal results, and treatment — following current national guidelines tailored to your age and risk.
Colorectal cancer screening
FIT stool tests or colonoscopy beginning at age 45 (or earlier with risk factors). Certain GI cancers are presumptive under the PACT Act for veterans with qualifying toxic exposure.
Diabetes and metabolic screening
A1C testing, fasting glucose, lipid panels, and thyroid function tests — plus ongoing management if a condition is found.
Lung cancer screening
Low-dose CT for veterans with a 20+ pack-year smoking history or PACT Act toxic exposure. Lung cancer is a PACT Act presumptive condition for burn-pit and airborne-hazard veterans.
Immunizations and flu shots
Every CDC-recommended vaccine at no cost — no copay, no pharmacy trip, no insurance card needed.
What this means for you
Women veterans are the fastest-growing group in the VA system, and the VA has invested heavily in Women's Health Primary Care Providers trained to deliver gender-specific care. You are not an afterthought — there are providers whose entire focus is the care women need. If your current primary-care experience feels generic, ask to switch to a WH-PCP; it can change everything.
Getting Primary & Preventive Care, step by step
Enroll in VA health care
Complete VA Form 10-10EZ online at VA.gov, in person at your nearest VA medical center, or by calling 1-877-222-8387. If you are already enrolled, skip to step 2.
Request a Women's Health Primary Care Provider
When you schedule your first appointment, ask to be assigned to a WH-PCP — a provider trained in the specific care women need. Every VA medical center has at least one.
Schedule your annual wellness visit
Call your VA facility or schedule online through My HealtheVet. Bring a list of medications, any civilian medical records, and questions you want answered.
Get your screenings on schedule
Your WH-PCP will recommend mammograms, Pap tests, and other screenings based on your age and risk. If your facility does not offer a test on-site, the VA arranges it with a community provider at no cost.
Mention toxic exposure
If you served near burn pits, in Vietnam-era areas, at Camp Lejeune, or anywhere with known environmental hazards, tell your provider. The PACT Act adds free toxic-exposure screenings and expands your eligibility.
Women Veterans Call Center
For enrollment help, eligibility questions, and finding women's health services near you
1-855-829-6636What trips women veterans up
Assuming preventive care requires a disability rating — it does not. Enrollment in VA health care is the only requirement for routine screenings and wellness visits.
Skipping cancer screenings because you think the VA does not cover them — the VA covers mammograms, Pap tests, colonoscopies, and lung-cancer CT scans at no cost.
Staying with a generic primary-care provider instead of requesting a Women's Health PCP — these providers are specifically trained in the care women need.
Not mentioning toxic exposure — burn pits, Agent Orange, and contaminated water trigger additional free screenings and expanded eligibility under the PACT Act.
Assuming you are ineligible because of income or discharge status — many women who were told they did not qualify actually do. Apply and let the VA make the determination.
Waiting until something is wrong to schedule a visit — the whole point of preventive care is catching problems before symptoms appear.
Primary & Preventive Care: your questions answered
Do I need a disability rating to get preventive care at the VA?
No. Once you are enrolled in VA health care (Form 10-10EZ), you have access to the full range of preventive services regardless of whether you have a disability rating. Enrollment is the gate, not a rating.
Does the VA really do mammograms?
Yes. The VA covers screening mammograms, diagnostic mammograms, and breast MRI for high-risk patients. If your VA facility does not have mammography on-site, it arranges the screening at a community provider at no cost to you.
What is a Women's Health Primary Care Provider?
A WH-PCP is a VA primary-care provider with additional training in the care women need — gynecological exams, contraceptive counseling, menopause management, and MST-informed care. Every VA medical center has at least one. You can request one as your assigned provider.
How often should I get a Pap test through the VA?
The VA follows national guidelines: generally every 3 years from age 21 to 29, and every 3 to 5 years from 30 to 65 depending on HPV co-testing results. Your provider will recommend the right schedule based on your personal history.
Are immunizations really free?
Yes. Every CDC-recommended vaccine — flu, COVID, shingles, pneumonia, Tdap, HPV, hepatitis — is available at no cost to enrolled veterans. No copay, no pharmacy run.
What if the PACT Act applies to me — does that change my preventive care?
It can. The PACT Act expands eligibility for veterans with toxic exposure and adds free toxic-exposure screenings. If you served near burn pits, at Camp Lejeune, or in a Vietnam-era location, tell your provider — it may unlock additional screenings and presumptive conditions.
See every healthcare service available to women veterans, or estimate the rating that could expand your VA health care access.
Not sure where to start?
Whether you need help enrolling, understanding what the VA covers, or connecting a health condition to a disability claim, a free review of your situation can put you on the right path.
