U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Resources

Provides training and resources to clergy members, spiritual leaders, and faith communities in rural areas on the various mental health issues faced by veterans, including issues linked to addiction and substance use. Offers education on the resources and services available to support veterans and their family members.

Describes the uses and dangers of fentanyl and carfentanil, which are both extremely potent synthetic opioids. Includes methods for reducing opioid use and overdoses, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and naloxone distribution.

Provides information on methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone and how they are used to provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD). Covers the signs of an overdose and answers questions about each medication.

Provides an overview of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Opioid Overdose Education & Naloxone Distribution (OEND) program. Focuses on reducing opioid overdoses and deaths among veterans through education and training for prevention, recognition, rescue response, and naloxone kit use. Includes OEND videos and materials for providers and patients.

Toolkit sharing field guidance, resources, and presentations to support clinical decisions about starting, continuing, or tapering opioid therapy, and other challenges related to safe opioid prescribing. Includes patient and provider education, clinical tools, and other resources.

Provides an overview of treatment options for veterans experiencing substance use issues. Includes information on different therapies, medications to reduce opioid and other substance use, intensive outpatient treatment, residential care, continuing care and relapse prevention, self-help groups, and more.

Provides instructions for the safe disposal of unwanted and unneeded medications to prevent substance misuse and accidental poisonings. Includes safety tips to keep drugs away from children and pets, ensure proper medication storage, and proper medication disposal. Takes back unused and expired medications and publishes bulletins and alerts with recent news related to medication safety.

Provides access to education materials developed by the VA Pharmacy Benefits Management Services (PBM) Academic Detailing Services (ADS) sharing evidence-based treatments to help providers improve the health of veterans. Offers provider and patient education tools and outreach resources to encourage evidence-based decision making for a variety of medical conditions and diseases, including opioid use disorder (OUD) and substance use disorder (SUD), pain, suicide, dementia, depression, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and more.

Describes the enterprise-wide initiatives currently supported by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Rural Health. Shares the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) national programs to provide healthcare services in VA hospitals and health systems to veterans residing in rural areas across the nation. Outlines programs to address primary care, specialty care, mental health, care coordination, workforce training and education, transportation, and more. Includes virtual training for providers on substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery, as well as a pharmacy-based program to increase access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for rural veterans with opioid use disorder.

Describes a patient-centered approach to healthcare that supports veterans' overall physical, mental, and emotional health and wellness through a personalized health plan and health inventory assessment. Includes veteran-led wellness courses. Offers educational materials, online tools, mobile applications, videos, and resources designed to assist veterans in adopting whole health approaches and for healthcare providers in implementing a whole health perspective in their clinical practices.

Offers evidence-based information, recommendations, guides, and tools for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare providers and patients to assist in the decision making process to improve the treatment and outcomes for patients with substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), methamphetamine use, and co-occurring mental health conditions. Describes best practices to help patients avoid preventable complications, reduce substance use, and improve their overall health and wellness.

Offers evidence-based information, recommendations, guides, and tools to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) healthcare providers and patients to assist in the decision making process to improve the health and treatment of patients with chronic pain. Includes information and algorithms for determining the appropriateness, risks, duration, and frequency of opioid therapy to prioritize safe and effective opioid prescribing practices.

Helps veterans achieve success and avoid homelessness following release from incarceration in state or federal prison. Provides outreach and assessment services; referral services to connect veterans to clinical, mental health, and social services, such as job assistance; and short-term case management support.

Provides a directory of national, state, and local programs and services to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration for military service members, veterans, their families, and caregivers. Helps connect individuals to a range of services and resources, including substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery support.

Directory of substance use disorder (SUD) programs available from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers.

Offers free and confidential support for veterans and others in crisis. Dial 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online to get help. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Seeks to identify justice-involved veterans and contact them through outreach, in order to facilitate access to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) services through Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) specialists at the earliest possible point. Builds and maintains partnerships between the VA and key elements of the criminal justice system.

Offers tools to help veterans locate community mental health points of contact, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, suicide prevention coordinators, vet centers, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) programs, and other mental health and substance use resources.