Eligible military veterans can register for vaccinations at Kerrville VA center
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an updated version of the previous story with more accurate information directly from the Kerrville VA Medical Center.
The Kerrville VA Medical Center is providing COVID-19 vaccinations to veterans 65 years and older on Saturday, Feb. 27, who are enrolled in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare.
Enrolled veterans can call 877-537-7348 to schedule an appointment or contact their primary care team by sending a secure message through MyHealthVet.
The Kerrville facility will be vaccinating veterans with an appointment from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Veterans who are eligible for a vaccine under VA guidelines, but are not enrolled in its healthcare benefits can learn how to enroll through the VA’s website.
The vaccinations are for enrolled veterans only and do not cover caregivers or family members. Proper identification will be required to verify VA health benefits enrollment and for scheduling the second round of the vaccine.
Llano County Precinct 3 Commissioner Mike Sandoval, who is also the county’s veterans service officer,said with Llano County providers receiving so few doses of vaccine since they became available in mid-December, the VA may be a great opportunity for veterans.
“The VA Hospital may be getting more doses than we are,” the commissioner said.
The state of Texas COVID-19 vaccine plan is emphasizing hub locations that can vaccinate a large number of people. Under this plan, the goal is to provide those hubs with reliable, weekly supplies of the vaccine.
This has meant more sporadic supplies to other, non-hub providers. Currently Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Marble Falls and Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg are two of the closest hubs.
During the week of Feb. 1, the state allocated 1,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine to Corner Drug Health Mart in Llano, but the county has a waiting list of approximately 7,000 people.
Sandoval is aware the trend right now is that people are putting their name on multiple lists in hopes they can get a vaccine as soon as possible. Once an individual gets a confirmed appointment for a vaccine, they should remove their name from the other lists to open space for others.
“If they would take themselves off, that would be good,” the commissioner said. “If the VA calls first and they get the shot, they need to get themselves off the other lists.”
Veterans can get up-to-date information and sign up for updates on the VA’s COVID-19 vaccine webpage and by following the South Texas Veterans Health Care systems Facebook and Twitter accounts.