On this page

↓ Veteran-centered purpose

↓ Content intent

↓ Before your start

↓ Instructions

The Veteran-centered purpose

“As a Veteran, family member, or caregiver, I want to know what health services are available at a facility so that I can understand what kind of care I can receive there."

“As a Veteran, family member, or caregiver, I want to detailed information about health services are available at a facility so that I can take the next step in my care (e.g. make an appointment)."

Content intent

The VAMC facility health service is the official Veteran-facing record of what services are available to Veterans, caregivers, and their families at a specific facility. The services available for you to choose from are from the VA Health Services Taxonomy to ensure Veteran-facing language and loosely aligned throughout all of VA.

We structured this content so that we can use this as the official data source for services at your facility in other applications. In the future, Veterans who use other applications such as the VA Facility Locator, VA.gov search, Mobile applications, chatbots and more will be getting phone numbers, hours, walk-in availability, and other information because of the content you maintain here!

Before you start

• You must have already added the  VAMC system health service  to your system.
• There may be a lot of specific information you want to provide for Veterans. Be sure to read about what you can add and why it's valuable for Veterans and other in the Content Intent section
• Health services plain language names, common conditions, and national descriptions are standardized nationally for a Veteran-centered experience. Contact VHA Digital Media with questions or feedback about health services names.

How to do it

1. On your homepage after logging in, click "Manage" in the top toolbar menu.
2. Hover over "Content" and click "Add content."
3. Scroll down to "VAMC facility health service" and click it to open a new form.
4. Click to expand "Health service and facility basic info."
5. Click the "Facility" dropdown menu and select your facility.
6. Click the "VAMC system health service" dropdown menu and select the health service. The "VAMC system health service" must already have been added to your system in order to appear on this list.
7. Select one of the "Appointment intro text" options. If you select "Customize text," you must enter instructions. This will be the source of truth across VA.gov for this facility health service information.
8. Select whether referrals are required and select whether walkins are accepted. This will be the source of truth across VA.gov for this facility health service information.
9. Select whether online scheduling is available. This will be the source of truth across VA.gov for this facility health service information.
10. Add a "Service Location" for each location at this facility that offers this health service. Add any specific location instructions, including floors, wings, or buildings. Add specific health service hours if they differ from your main facility hours. Add specific health service contact information if they differ from your main facility contact information.
11. Scroll down to the "Editorial workflow."
12. Click the "Save as" menu and select a moderation state.
13. Enter a "Revision log message."
14. Click "Save."