The VA App Has New Features, But Most Veterans Are Missing Out

If you're still logging into VA.gov from a desktop every time you need to refill a prescription or check a claim, you're working harder than you have to. The VA Health and Benefits mobile app, available free for iPhone and Android, has quietly become one of the most useful tools the department offers, and VA keeps adding capabilities at a steady clip.

More than 3 million Veterans have downloaded it, and that means many are missing out on a fantastic tool. Not many government websites and mobile apps are worth gushing about, but this one is worth it.

What the App Does Right Now

Think of the app as VA.gov in your pocket, organized around the things Veterans actually do most. Once you sign in with the same Login.gov or ID.me credentials you use on VA.gov, you can set up fingerprint or face recognition so you're never hunting for a password again.

On the health care side, you can refill and track VA prescriptions, send secure messages to your care team, review upcoming appointments and add them to your calendar, and pull up your VA vaccine records. The secure messaging feature alone is worth the download. Instead of waiting on hold, you can message your provider and often get an answer the same day.

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On the benefits side, the app shows your disability rating, the status of any claim or appeal, and lets you submit evidence for a claim directly from your phone.

Need a benefit verification letter for a mortgage application or a state property tax exemption? You can download common VA letters right in the app. There's also a payments section showing the history of payments VA has sent you.

The Features You Probably Missed

Here's where the headline comes in. VA has been shipping new features faster than most Veterans can keep track of them.

In August 2025, the VA added mileage-only travel claim submissions. The app automatically detects when one of your appointments may qualify for travel reimbursement and prompts you on the home screen. A few taps and the claim is submitted, no paper forms, no separate trip through the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System.

You can track the claim's status in the app too. If you have a service-connected rating of 30 percent or higher, or meet other eligibility criteria, this feature alone can put real money back in your pocket for every VA appointment you drive to.

And just this month, VA added benefit overpayment debt details to the app. If VA has overpaid you on a benefit, you can now see the debt amount and details without waiting for a letter or navigating the phone tree. If you don't owe anything, the app tells you that too. Nobody enjoys learning about an overpayment, but seeing it early means you can act before it snowballs.

What's Coming Next

VA has previewed more features on the roadmap: lab and test results in the app, mobile check-in for medical appointments, expanded appointment scheduling, and integration with VA's modernized electronic health record system.

The pattern is clear. The app is steadily absorbing the tasks that used to require a desktop, a phone call, or a trip to the medical center.

How to Get the App

Download the VA Health and Benefits app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Sign in with your existing Login.gov or ID.me account; if you don't have one, you can create one at VA.gov.

If you hit a snag installing or navigating the app, VA runs a 24/7 help line at 800-698-2411 (TTY: 711).

One practical tip from a daily user: turn on push notifications. The app will nudge you about appointments, prescription status, and claim updates, which beats discovering a missed appointment letter in a stack of mail.

The VA Health and Benefits app isn't flashy, but it works, and it gets better every few months. If the last time you looked at it was a year ago, you're overdue for another look. And if you've never downloaded it at all, you're leaving one of your most convenient VA benefits sitting on the shelf.