Atlanta VA Health Care System

Walgreens partnership benefits Atlanta Veterans.

November is National Flu Awareness month and for the second year in a row, the VA has once again entered into a private-public partnership with Walgreens to offer “no cost” flu shots for Veteran patients who are enrolled in the VA Health Care System.

Last year’s national pilot program ensured that many Veterans received their no-cost flu shot at a local Walgreens, satisfying their wellness reminder because they either found it more convenient, or did not have a scheduled appointment at a local VA health care facility during flu season. Many rural Veterans also benefited by traveling less and saving Veterans 2,055,240 miles!

Another benefit is the Veteran’s VA electronic medical record and VA Blue Button are updated automatically.

FOR QUESTIONS/CONCERNS ABOUT THE PROGRAM:

What types of flu vaccine are available to Veterans from Walgreen’s?
◦Standard and high dose trivalent formulations.

Will Walgreen’s charge the Veteran’s private health insurance or Medicare?
◦Walgreen’s will charge the Veterans private insurance and/or Medicare if they have these. If not, Walgreen’s will bill the national contract.

Can the Veteran get other vaccines at Walgreen’s?
◦Yes. However if the Veteran does not have private insurance or Medicare, there may be a fee. Currently Walgreen’s will share pneumococcal and zoster vaccine administration.

•What if the Veteran doesn’t have a valid or new VA ID?
◦It will be the decision of the local Walgreen’s whether they will vaccinate the patient as a Veteran. Problems occur when information given by the Veteran does not exactly match information contained within the Veteran’s VA health record. The data transfer cannot take place when information is not matched precisely – thus leading to the new requirement of presenting the VA ID.

If you hear about a problem with access or vaccine administration regarding a Walgreen’s location, notify the Walgreen’s call center at 1-866-964-1812.