HEALTHCAREVA program
VA Smoking and Tobacco Cessation
Free counseling, nicotine replacement therapies, and prescription medications (varenicline, bupropion) to help veterans quit smoking or using other tobacco products, available in-person and via VA SmokefreeVET text program.
Available to enrolled veterans who use tobacco
Step-by-step guide
What you get
Help to quit tobacco through VA health care: quit counseling programs with no copay, nicotine replacement or other medicines for stopping tobacco use, and the Quit VET phone line.
How to get help quitting at VA
- A talk with your VA primary care providerIf you have a VA primary care provider, talk to them about your tobacco use. Your provider can help you get screened for substance use problems and related issues, and can offer treatment and support as needed.
Source: VA.gov: substance use treatment (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.38(a)(1)(i) (opens in new tab)
Where are you starting from?
- Enrolled, with a VA primary care provider
VA health care covers treatment for substance use problems, tobacco use included. VA offers individual and group quit counseling, and nicotine replacement or other medicines for stopping tobacco use.
Source: VA.gov: substance use treatment (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.38(a)(1)(i) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.108(e)(13) (opens in new tab)
- Enrolled, with no VA primary care provider yet
If you are enrolled but do not have a VA primary care provider, or have not been seen at a VA hospital or clinic, you can find a Substance Use Disorder program near you, call VA's general information hotline at 800-827-1000, or contact your local VA medical center. You can also call Quit VET, VA's tobacco quitline, at 1-855-784-8838.
- Another way into VA careWithout a VA primary care provider, start with a Substance Use Disorder program, VA's general information hotline, your local VA medical center, or Quit VET.
Source: VA.gov: substance use treatment (opens in new tab); VA.gov: quit tobacco (Minneapolis VA) (opens in new tab)
- Not enrolled in VA health care
To get these services, first apply for VA health care. After you apply, talk with a VA primary care provider, or use the other ways in if you do not have one yet.
- Enrolled in VA health careVA substance use care, tobacco treatment included, comes with enrollment in VA health care.
Source: VA.gov: substance use treatment (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for VA health care (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.36(a) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.38(a)(1)(i) (opens in new tab)
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA health care application VA Form 10-10EZ, the application for VA health care. | Your application to VA for health care | Apply to VA online, by phone, by mail, or in person at a VA medical center or clinic. | |
| Screening through your VA provider Your VA primary care provider can help you get screened for substance use problems and related issues, such as PTSD or depression. | Which treatment and support fit you | Ask your VA primary care provider. VA does the screening. | |
| A first contact through another VA route A call or visit with a Substance Use Disorder program, your local VA medical center, VA general information, or a Quit VET counselor. | Your way into VA tobacco treatment without a primary care provider | Call VA at 800-827-1000, contact your local VA medical center, or call Quit VET at 1-855-784-8838. VA staff take it from there. |
Your VA care team works from VA records. BeneVets does not ask for copies of them.
Steps, in order
- If you are in crisis
Call 988 and select 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, text 838255, or start a confidential chat. For TTY, call 711 then 988. You can also call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or go to your nearest VA medical center, whatever your discharge status and whether or not you are enrolled in VA health care.
- Free help with VA enrollment
Quitting tobacco through VA is not a claim. A VSO can help with the VA health care application it depends on. Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for VA health care (opens in new tab)
- Enroll in VA health care
Apply for VA health care with VA Form 10-10EZ, online, by phone, by mail, or in person. If you are already enrolled, skip this step.
Source: VA Form 10-10EZ (opens in new tab); VA.gov: how to apply for VA health care (opens in new tab)
- Talk to your VA primary care provider
Tell your VA primary care provider you want help to quit. Your provider can help you get screened and can offer treatment and support.
- No VA provider yet? Other ways in
Once you are enrolled, if you do not have a VA primary care provider yet: call Quit VET at 1-855-784-8838, find a Substance Use Disorder program near you, call VA's general information hotline at 800-827-1000, or contact your local VA medical center.
Source: VA.gov: substance use treatment (opens in new tab); VA.gov: quit tobacco (Minneapolis VA) (opens in new tab)
Good to know
Individual and group smoking cessation counseling has no copay. VA.gov lists programs to help you quit smoking among services with no copay, whatever your rating or priority group. A visit for other care follows the usual outpatient copay rules.
Source: 38 CFR 17.108(e)(13) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: current VA health care copay rates (opens in new tab)
VA.gov says veterans in priority group 1 pay no medication copays. Veterans in priority groups 2 through 8 may pay a copay for medicines that treat conditions not related to service, and for over-the-counter medicines from a VA pharmacy. Some may pay none, for example with lower income if they give VA their income information, and the rule exempts others, such as former prisoners of war. A yearly cap limits medication copays.
Source: VA.gov: current VA health care copay rates (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.110(c) (opens in new tab)
Quit VET is VA's tobacco quitline, in English and Spanish: call 1-855-784-8838 (1-855-QUIT-VET), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CT. SmokefreeVET is VA's quit tobacco text program: text VET to 47848.
Source: VA.gov: quit tobacco (Minneapolis VA) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: health and wellness programs (opens in new tab)
VA's Stay Quit Coach app has tools to control cravings and manage smoking triggers, and messages to keep you going.
Source: VA.gov: substance use treatment (opens in new tab); VA.gov: quit tobacco (Minneapolis VA) (opens in new tab)
BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you
Sources checked October 15, 2026: 38 CFR 17.36(a) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 17.38(a)(1)(i) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 17.108(e)(13) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 17.110(c) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab), VA.gov: substance use treatment (opens in new tab), VA.gov: quit tobacco (Minneapolis VA) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: health and wellness programs (opens in new tab), VA.gov: current VA health care copay rates (opens in new tab), VA.gov: how to apply for VA health care (opens in new tab), VA Form 10-10EZ (opens in new tab)