If you are a veteran who has never enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs health care, never filed a disability claim, or simply lost track of what you might be entitled to, VA is running a nationwide push this summer to make that easier. As part of the country’s 250th anniversary, VA hospitals, Vet Centers and regional offices are hosting more than 140 “Freedom 250” events across the country — walk-in sessions where veterans can enroll in health care, ask questions about claims and connect with benefits staff without scheduling anything in advance.
“America couldn’t celebrate its 250th anniversary without help from the veterans who sacrificed to protect her,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a news release.
What Actually Happens at a Freedom 250 Event
The events vary by location, but the core purpose is consistent: Put VA staff in front of veterans who have not engaged with the system, and remove the friction of scheduling an appointment or navigating a phone tree. Depending on the site, Freedom 250 events have offered health care enrollment on the spot, disability claims assistance, toxic exposure screenings tied to the PACT Act, memorial and burial benefits information, pension guidance, caregiver support resources, women veterans health care information, and veteran ID card issuance or updates.
Read More: These Are the Wait Times for VA Claim, Benefits Processing in 2026
Some events are simple. The VA New Jersey Health Care System’s East Orange and Lyons campuses, for example, marked the anniversary with a cake for employees and veterans alongside an active enrollment table staffed by the Veterans Benefits Administration to answer service-connection and other benefit questions.
Others are larger coordinated sessions. In Milwaukee, a Freedom 250 event at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in June specifically targeted a documented barrier: Many veterans say they only learn about VA services through word of mouth from other veterans, rather than from the VA itself, and the event was built around closing that information gap directly.
Why the Push Is Happening Now
VA has framed the Freedom 250 campaign as an extension of its broader 2026 outreach effort. More than 200,000 veterans have newly enrolled in VA health care so far this year, according to the department, generating more than 500,000 completed or scheduled health care encounters, including more than 60,000 mental health appointments. Since the start of 2026, more than 2,100 newly enrolled veterans have received emergency care through the VA.
The outreach comes at a moment when the VA has significantly expanded who is eligible. Enacted in 2022, the PACT Act opened VA health care to millions of veterans with toxic exposure histories who previously could not establish eligibility. Many veterans who were told years ago that they did not qualify for VA care may now be eligible under rules that did not exist when they last checked.
Read More: PACT Act: Presumptive Conditions
How to Find One
VA maintains a live, searchable calendar of Freedom 250 and other outreach events at discover.va.gov/events. Events are tagged by category — health care enrollment, disability claim questions, PACT Act screenings, burial benefits, pension, women veterans’ health care, and more — so veterans can filter for the specific service they need before showing up.
Because the events run through the summer and are added on a rolling basis at individual VA medical centers, Vet Centers and regional offices nationwide, checking the calendar closely to when you plan to attend is the most reliable way to confirm a location and date.
Veterans who cannot make it to a Freedom 250 event can still start the enrollment process at any time at va.gov/health-care/apply, or by calling 877-222-8387, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. No disability rating is required to enroll in VA health care, and a DD-214 is helpful but not necessarily required; the VA can often verify service records independently.
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