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Have you been slacking on the PT since separation? Finally hit that metabolic wall, where you can no longer eat everything and not put on any weight?

Good news! MOVE! is VA's weight loss and healthy living program.

MOVE!’s Core Ideas:

  • Encouraging healthy eating behavior

  • Increasing physical activity

  • Promoting even small weight losses

With the help of your MOVE! care team, you can reduce health risks, prevent or reverse certain diseases, improve your quality of life, and even live longer!

Eligibility

All Veterans are eligible, even if their service was less than honorable OR they don't otherwise qualify for VA health care.

However, in order for the Veteran to have full access to the program they DO need to be enrolled in VA health care.

How to Enroll

The process depends on if the Veteran is enrolled in VA health care or not:

Enrolled in VA Health Care

  1. Complete the Questionnaire.

  2. Print the patient report or write down the code that generates when you complete the questionnaire.

  3. Make an appointment to see your VA primary care physician.

  4. Bring the patient report/code to your appointment with your VA primary care physician (PCP).

  5. With your PCP you will review the MOVE! options of care.

NOT Enrolled in VA Health Care

You can access the MOVE! workbook or use the MOVE! Coach mobile app, mentioned below. You may also complete the Questionnaire if you want.

MOVE! Options of Care

  • MOVE! Coach mobile app - For Veterans who prefer to manage their weight on their own. Brief check-ins with a MOVE! clinician may be available at VA facilities that offer MOVE! Coach with Care. IOS device (version 6.0 or higher) download. Android version of MOVE! Coach download.

  • MOVE! Group Sessions - has the greatest evidence for success and is the most common way Veterans participate in MOVE! Time-limited, clinician-led groups meet regularly and follow a structured format for weight loss. To enable more Veterans to participate, many medical centers provide video conferencing to community-based outpatient facilities (CBOCs), as well as long-term groups for weight maintenance.

  • MOVE! Telephone Lifestyle Coaching - is for Veterans who prefer one-on-one contact via telephone with a designated weight management coach.

  • TeleMOVE! - For Veterans who may benefit from frequent reminders to stay on track with their weight management goals. This includes daily interaction with in-home messaging technologies and clinician contact as needed.

  • Weight Loss Medications and Bariatric Surgery - May be offered to Veterans who have tried MOVE! but continue to struggle with being overweight or have other weight-related issues.

NOTE:

  • Options are subject to local availability.

I just want DRUGS!

To heck with all this lifestyle, exercise, and diet junk, I believe in better living through pharmaceuticals. How do I just get weight loss drugs from the VA?

The VA does offer Weight Management Medicine Options, but require you to have completed a lifestyle change program (such as the MOVE! program) before they will consider prescribing medication.