You earned every door we're about to walk you through.

If you need someone to talk to right now

Call 988 — Press 1   Text 838255

Veterans Crisis Line. Free, confidential, 24/7. You don't have to be in crisis to call. Many vets call just to talk it out — that's what it's for.

Vet Centers — the place most veterans don't know about

Vet Centers are not VA medical centers. They're small, community-based readjustment counseling offices. You walk in. No appointment. No paperwork up front.

Eligibility is broader than VA healthcare:

• Combat veterans (any era)
• Anyone who served in a war-zone or hostile-area
• Sexual trauma during military service (any era, any discharge)
• Drone crew members
• Family members of veterans (counseling, family services)
• Bereavement counseling for survivors of OEF/OIF/OND deaths

What they offer: individual counseling, group therapy, marriage and family counseling, MST counseling, bereavement counseling, employment guidance — all free, all confidential, none of it gets shared with the VA disability claims system unless you ask.

Find your Vet Center →

PTSD — what's actually on offer

PTSD treatment at the VA is genuinely good. Evidence-based therapies, all free if you're enrolled in VA healthcare. The big three:

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) — 12 sessions, focused on the stuck points keeping the trauma alive. Works for combat, MST, and other trauma.
• Prolonged Exposure (PE) — repeated, structured talking through the trauma to reduce its grip. About 8-15 sessions.
• EMDR — eye-movement desensitization. Less talk, more processing. Some vets find this easier when words feel impossible.

Medications: SSRIs (sertraline, paroxetine) and prazosin for nightmares. Many vets do therapy + meds together.

Newer options at most VAs: Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB), TMS, ketamine for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD.

Military Sexual Trauma (MST)

If you experienced sexual assault or harassment during your service — including before basic, during deployment, after deployment, on or off duty — you qualify for free MST-related care for life. No claim, no proof, no rating required. Eligibility is universal regardless of:

• When you served · what era · what branch
• Length of service or discharge characterization
• Whether you reported it at the time
• Whether you have a service-connection rating

Every VA medical center has MST-trained providers. You can request a same-gender provider. Vet Centers offer MST counseling outside the VA system.

VA MST resources · MST helpline: 1-877-VA-MSTRP (1-877-472-8477)

If you have an "Other Than Honorable" (OTH) discharge

You can still get mental healthcare. The VA's "Character of Discharge" rules changed: OTH veterans are eligible for free mental health and substance use care for service-connected conditions, especially conditions tied to PTSD, MST, or TBI. Don't accept "you're not eligible" as a final answer — ask for a Character of Discharge determination.

Depression, anxiety, substance use

You don't have to be in crisis to ask for help. The VA offers:

• Individual therapy (CBT, ACT, behavioral activation)
• Group therapy
• Medication management
• Substance use treatment — outpatient through residential
• Sleep medicine (insomnia is the most under-treated veteran condition)
• Pain management — addressing chronic pain that drives depression

If the VA isn't working for you

VA Community Care lets you see a non-VA provider, paid for by VA, when:

• The VA can't schedule you within 28 days for mental health
• The drive is over 60 minutes
• The VA recommends it

Ask your primary care provider for a Community Care referral. If you hit resistance, escalate to the Patient Advocate at the medical center — every VA has one.

Veteran-specific therapists outside the VA

• Give an Hour — free mental health care from licensed providers. giveanhour.org
• Cohen Veterans Network — confidential, free or low-cost, no VA red tape. cohenveteransnetwork.org
• Headstrong — trauma-focused, free, post-9/11 veterans. getheadstrong.org
• Stop Soldier Suicide — case management, suicide-specific. stopsoldiersuicide.org
• Wounded Warrior Project Talk — peer-to-peer, anytime. wwp.org/talk

If you're worried about a veteran in your life

Read our buddy check guide. 5 minutes. The most useful thing you can do is pick up the phone today — not tomorrow.

Get help