Veterans and other VA beneficiaries who access health care and benefits information via VA’s MyHealtheVet website or DS Logon portal will need to set up a new way to log in as part of the department’s “more modern, streamlined online login process” in the coming year.

All logged-in access to VA online services, to include mobile apps, will be performed using Login.gov or ID.me accounts at some point in 2025, the department announced in a recent press release. Login via My HealtheVet will be disabled after Jan. 31, 2025, while DS Logon functionality will end after Sept. 30 of that year.

The move will help VA officials maintain online security protections and will simplify the sign-in process, according to a VA website offering details on establishing new Login.gov and ID.me accounts. Account creation takes about 10 minutes, the press release states.

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About 3 million veterans and other beneficiaries do not use Login.gov or ID.me accounts. Some details on the changeover, according to the VA:

• Both account types require an email address as well as multifactor authentication.
• Both account types allow users to access and manage accounts in other federal programs, such as the IRS and Social Security Administration.
• Beneficiaries who do not create Login.gov or ID.me accounts prior to the changeover dates will not lose their existing account information, but they will not be able to access or update it until they log in with Login.gov or ID.me.

To verify identity when creating a new Login.gov account, account holders will need a driver’s license or other state-issued ID, their Social Security number, and a U.S. phone number (or mailing address, if a phone number is not available). ID.me requires new account holders to verify their identity using a phone number and either a driver’s license, other state-issued ID, or passport card.

The changeover will not affect beneficiaries who do not manage their VA care or benefits online. Assistance by phone or at your local VA facility will remain available.