The portal was always yours. Drill never taught the click path.

TOP built this briefing because the formation is expected to self-serve on websites nobody demonstrated at drill, at the demob station, or in TAP. VA.gov is not a brochure. It is the place you file, track, and download the paper that other agencies will ask you for.

The VA Health and Benefits app is the same account on a phone: prescription refills, appointment details, secure messages, claim status, and benefit letters. Since launch it has cleared millions of downloads. That does not mean your platoon has it installed.

What you can actually do once you are in

File or check a disability claim. Apply for VA health care. Download a benefit summary letter for a lender, a school, or a state tax office. Refill a VA prescription. Read lab results in My HealtheVet on VA.gov. None of that requires a trip to a regional office if your identity is verified.

If you are still serving, you can start a Benefits Delivery at Discharge claim and pull records before you lose easy access to the aid station. If you already wore the uniform and never signed in, that is the first task this week — not a New Year's resolution.