VA is committed to making it as easy as possible for Veterans to manage their benefits and health care online while protecting their identities and data. As part of this commitment, and in an effort to streamline Veterans’ sign-in options, VA will transition to two modern, secure, sign-in options in 2025: a Login.gov or ID.me account.
After this transition, Veterans, beneficiaries and caregivers looking to access VA’s online services (VA.gov, the VA: Health and Benefits mobile app, and other VA online services) will need to sign in with either a Login.gov or ID.me account. Veterans and other beneficiaries will no longer be able to use usernames and passwords for My HealtheVet after Jan. 31, 2025, or DS Logon after Sept. 30, 2025.
VA will provide information and support throughout this transition. Veterans can begin this transition now by visiting www.va.gov/sign-in-changes to learn how to create a verified Login.gov or ID.me account. The process takes about 10 minutes. Importantly, Veterans who do not transition before these deadlines will be able to resume accessing their data, benefits and services online as soon as they create a Login.gov or ID.me account.
This transition only impacts account-based online services. Many VA webpages are accessible without signing in—such as finding information about VA locations, downloading VA forms, learning more about the PACT Act, how to file claims, and more.
Why is VA transitioning to Login.gov or ID.me accounts?
- This transition is our response to Veterans’ feedback to offer fewer sign-in account options and help reduce confusion and sign-in complexity.
- This change helps us continue to protect the security of Veterans’ identities and data by making sure that all Veterans are using modern, secure accounts and have the added protection of multifactor authentication.
- Identity theft and related medical identity theft are serious issues that can cause severe financial hardship and disruption in medical care for Veterans and their families.
- In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) received more than 1 million reports of identity theft. That same year, Veterans and military retirees also reported to the FTC $350 million in losses to fraud.
- Federal policy requires VA to help all Veterans begin using a sign-in account that meets modern security standards, and that Veterans’ sign-in experience is as simple as possible. Login.gov and ID.me helps us meet both these requirements.
Actions to take and who’s affected
If you use an account to access any VA online services—including through VA’s mobile app—and are not yet using Login.gov or ID.me, this change will impact you. Don’t worry—there’s still time to transition!
If you:
- Already use a Login.gov or ID.me account to access VA’s online services or mobile app, you are all set and don’t need to do anything additional.
- Currently use a DS Logon or My HealtheVet username and password to access VA’s online services or mobile app, we encourage you to create a Login.gov or ID.me account sooner rather than later so you have time to get used to it before this change.
- Are planning to create a sign-in account for the first time this year to access VA’s online services or mobile app, please create and use a Login.gov or ID.me account.
- Want to manage your VA benefits and services offline, that’s not a problem. VA will continue to provide easy access to manage your VA benefits and health care in other ways, including by phone or in-person.
Learn more and get support
VA is dedicated to making sure you succeed in transitioning to a modern, secure account. We’re here to support you and help you prepare.
Learn how to create a Login.gov or ID.me account to manage VA benefits online.
Keep up to date with the latest information on the upcoming sign-in changes.
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I have questions about supporting a veteran that I have Power of Attorney for, I highly doubt I can get them registered through ID.me.
What is the best option for getting them enrolled so that I can ensure that I have continued access to their information electronically so I can more easily support them?
I, personally have had nothing but Head aches, & heartburn trying to log into this contraption for better than a year.
I have been using id.me login for some time now and really like it for all the security measures mentioned. Yes it takes some time for older vets like myself to get used to it , but if I can use use it you can to.
consider this – most vets are in their senior years – you keep changing log ins and you are confusing these people. I am confused and i consider myself lucid.
stop fooling with what works.
Once again, an organization is foisting the bulk of the security requirements on the customer rather than doing what they should and increasing their own systemic protection first. The US government should be shoring up it’s own defenses rather than dumping the responsibility on their customers (in this case, veterans). A little partitioning would do wonders. There are also many other IT techniques. The whole government is doing this. Can you say LAZY beyond belief? I haven’t tried the VA transition yet, but Social Security wanted me to upload a bunch of documents to prove my Identity AFTER I’d created an ID.me login. Just how many 70, 80, and 90-year old’s do you think are comfortable with doing that? I hope the VA and the rest of the idiotic government (which doesn’t seem to be able to think critically) is ready to put on a LOT more telephone operators, and add more lines, because you’re going to need them! Of course you’re not. You’ll have no problem screwing over your customers (Vets) and make them wait much longer and have to call many more times in order to get through. That’s always been OK in government circles. You’ll note that commercial companies aren’t engaged is this silliness. They don’t have a monopoly, they have to work for their customers. Of course, they also pay their IT’s much more. So they generally have better ones. As has basically been said before in this forum: If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! And, if it is actually broken, fix it on YOUR end first!
Reporting for travel pay reimbursement has become very difficult. I can’t imagine all of the veterans being able to put in their travel pay request.
perfect comment!!!! thank you!!!!
Not sure which genius in government came up with the idea of using ID.me but they should be fired. All domains ending in .me are solely owned by the country Montenegro. So sure, lets give all our data away to them and fall under their laws of how that data may be used.
Sadly the system still has several glitches. For one, it can not process the drivers license info for Kentucky residents.
The sign in has worked just fine for YEARS. Once again, “fixing” something that is not broken… This will shut out many Vets. DON’T CHANGE IT
Us older Vets are getting a bit tired of the VA changing things for our better and ease of doing whatever. It took me about a year to get used to HealtheVet and now you are going to try some crackpot idea new thing. Thanks for all the confusion. I have tried your”new” sign in and auto put it mildly, it sucks.
I am a former VA employee and have an existing DS logon. I have tried to create an ID.me log in but they cannot verify me (name change problem). Then I tried to create a login.gov account – but the system is not allowing me to do so for some reason. It just keeps bringing up my husbands login and won’t let me change it. I have no clue how to overcome any of this.
Already ID-ME …Great article & this sign in process, makes a huge impact on Security when you access all of your personal information. …Really Secure
Would be nice to have the difference of the options explained versus repeating the same info over and over.
Social Security administration is making the same change to id.me or login.gov sign in’s so it’s not just tge VA.
They both preform basically the same task, verifying identity of users and creating a secure multi-factor log in so your data is safer…hopefully. ID.me is a private company with a gov’t contract, LOGIN.gov is a gov’t agency. Both are used by more than just the VA, however I agree that something different could and should, have been done for a system where the Veterans identity was already verified. MyPay and TSP don’t use these and it works great. Not the greatest decision made by people that didn’t think it all out.
Excellent. I find Login.gov so useful when working with other government sites, and it is pretty easy to get verified.
Thank you for the positive comment. I make my callers (Veterans) aware the of the upcoming changes and if they are ready to set up their Login.gov account, I walk them through the process over the phone. Thank you for your support during this transition.