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January 3, 2023

Easily reschedule your VA appointments

To increase access to health care for all Veterans, VA has developed VEText, an interactive mobile solution to remind Veterans of upcoming appointments via text messaging. Our goal is to offer Veterans a quick and easy way to confirm and/or cancel appointments. 

In VISN 4 we have also implemented Open Slot Management for all primary care clinics and some behavioral health and specialty clinics at select facilities. Based on certain criteria (waiting for an appointment greater than 30 days, service-connection, new patient, etc.), you may receive a text message on your phone giving you the option to reschedule your appointment to an earlier date. If you choose to reschedule your appointment, Open Slot Management will schedule you into the earlier slot and cancel your previous appointment. Any associated ancillary appointments such as laboratory and nursing may also be rescheduled. If the appointment is available when you respond “RESCHEDULE”, you will receive a follow-up text message with the date and time of your new appointment. Below are two examples of the text messages you may receive:

Non-PHI (Non-Personal Health Information) message template

Your VA can see you sooner!

You are scheduled for a VA appointment on DATE at TIME.

AN EARLIER APPOINTMENT IS AVAILABLE ON DATE at TIME.

Reply:

A1 for APPOINTMENT DETAILS

R1 to RESCHEDULE with the earlier appointment

K1 to KEEP your original appointment

PHI (Personal Health Information) message template

FIRST NAME, your VA can see you sooner!

You are scheduled for an appointment with CLINIC at LOCATION on DATE at TIME.

AN EARLIER APPOINTMENT IS AVAILABLE ON DATE at TIME.

Reply:

R1 to RESCHEDULE with the earlier appointment

K1 to KEEP your original appointment

Important note:

You will automatically receive these text messages as long as you have not opted out of the VEText Program. To learn more about VEText, visit www.va.gov/health/VEText.asp.

Spread the word about the PACT Act

When President Biden signed the PACT Act on August 10, 2022, it initiated one of the largest expansions of VA benefits in history. This includes extended VA health care enrollment eligibility to Vietnam-era, Gulf War-era and Post-9/11 Veterans. You can help spread the word about expanded eligibility to enroll in VA health care for your Veteran friends who have not previously enrolled. 

About VA Healthcare-VISN 4

VA Healthcare–VISN 4 is a fully integrated network of 9 VA campuses, 45 outpatient clinics, 1 mobile clinic, and 16 vet centers covering 83 counties in Pennsylvania and Delaware and parts of Ohio, West Virginia, New York and New Jersey.

In fiscal year 2022, VISN 4 served 321,366 patients from across the Nation. With a staff of 17,066 and an operating budget of more than $3.1 billion, VISN 4 is working hard to transform toward personalized, proactive, patient-driven health care.

VA health care covers care for your physical and mental health. This includes a range of services from checkups to surgeries to home health care. It also includes prescriptions and medical equipment.