App icon- Annie App for VeteransLock Icon - DS Logon Required

Annie App for Veterans

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Take Control of Your Health

Annie App for Veterans

Annie Veteran Quick Start

Annie is a VA messaging service that empowers Veterans to take an active role in their care. Messages you receive from Annie can include reminders to take your medication, tips for reducing stress, instructions to prepare for your health care appointments, and more. Annie can also send you broadcast messages from your VA medical center. Once you are registered for Annie and have chosen your Annie health subscriptions, you will receive automated text messages. Annie helps you take charge of your health, one text at a time.

Using Annie is completely voluntary and is designed to support your self-care. Annie messages are automated and are not regularly checked by your care team. Your provider cannot directly exchange text messages with you through Annie. Annie cannot be used:

  • To contact your VA health care team directly about specific health concerns.
  • To view general medical information or records in My HealtheVet.
  • For an emergency or crisis. Call 911 or contact the Veterans Crisis Line (800-273-8255 and press 1).
Lock Icon - DS Logon Required To use Annie, you must have ID.me, DS Logon Level 2 (Premium), or My HealtheVet Premium account credentials. Learn more about secure login.

Instructions to Register and Select Messages

To use Annie, you must register first. The registration process is quick and easy and collects basic information such as your mobile phone number and your user preferences. The instructions below are a guide. If you need additional assistance or have questions, contact the Health Resource Center at 877-470-5974.

Step 1: Go to Annie for Veterans

Step 2: Select Your Log In Preference

ID.me, DS Logon Level 2 (Premium), or My HealtheVet Premium. (Read more about secure account credentials or contact your VAMC and ask for the MyHealtheVet coordinator.)

Step 3: Use the Wizard (4 steps) to Register

  1. Consent
    • Read the entire Information and Disclosure Factsheet. Once you have scrolled all the way down to the bottom, if you want to use Annie, check the consent box indicating that you give your consent to participate. You will NOT be able to check the box if you do not scroll to the bottom of the agreement.
    • Select Next
  2. Patient Info
    • Fill in your mobile phone, re-enter it, and select your time zone.
    • Select Next
  3. Preferences
    • After reviewing ‘Receiving and Replying to Annie Messages,’ select how you would like to interact with Annie (via text message, Annie online, or both).
    • Select Next
  4. Broadcast Message

    You can decide to receive limited broadcast messages from Annie. These messages include important information from your VA medical center, and they will be sent depending on the topics of interest you choose during registration. You can update your preferences at any time by visiting Annie online.

    • The box is selected by default to receive these messages. If you would not like to receive these messages, then uncheck the box and skip step ‘b.’
    • To move forward and receive messages:
      • Select your VA Medical Center.
      • Select the topics of interest that you would like to receive messages about.
    • Select Submit

Step 4: Your Participation Confirmed

You will receive the following message from Annie confirming your participation: “Hi, its Annie! Welcome! I am very happy to connect with you. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to Stop. Msg & Data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies.”

Step 5: Subscribe

Once you have registered, you can subscribe to receive Annie messages about your specific health interests.

There are many Annie health subscriptions to choose from. If one interests you, text SUB plus the health subscription’s keyword to Annie (75338). For example, to subscribe to medication reminders, text SUB MED. A full list of available health subscriptions can be found here: https://mobile.va.gov/annie#subscription.

Annie Health Subscriptions are Divided into Several Categories

Select the plus sign to reveal the available health subscriptions in a category. To subscribe to any of these, text SUB and the associated KEYWORD to Annie or 75338. For example, in the Diabetes category, to subscribe to the subscription named Diabetes Foot Care Reminder, text SUB FOOT

Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Cancer Treatment Symptom Reporting This subscription allows Veterans with cancer and blood disorders to rate symptoms on a 0-10 scale at any time, on any day. Veterans receive advice texts based on their symptoms. Symptom reporting is linked to improved survival in cancer patients. 1 year 5/week SUB CARE
Tobacco Cessation Support This subscription provides motivation to Veterans who are thinking about quitting as well as help to create a quit plan and set a quit date. 1 month 9/week SUB TOBACCO
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
COVID Precautions This subscription helps Veterans to monitor for viral symptoms and advise when to contact care teams or nurse triage lines. Provides Veterans education on precautions to take to help prevent contraction of Coronavirus. 3 months 10/week SUB COVID
Coping During COVID This subscription provides support to Veterans coping with stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 20 weeks 3/week SUB COPE
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Diabetes Foot Care Reminder This subscription reminds Veterans with foot risk scores of 2 or 3 to complete and practice proper self-care foot practices. 1 year 4/week SUB FOOT
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Fall Prevention Tips This subscription provides Veterans with weekly fall prevention tips for 12 weeks. 12 weeks 1/week SUB FALL
Home Telehealth Use Reminder This subscription provides daily reminders to Veterans using home telehealth to complete home telehealth checks. 1 Year Up to 8/week SUB HOME
Medication Use Reminder This subscription provides Veterans daily medication reminders and establishes improved compliance with prescribed medication. 1 year 8/week SUB MED
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Tracking This subscription provides daily educational messages for Veterans with hypertension and reminders to send daily blood pressure and pulse readings. 1 year 4/week SUB HTNP
Blood Pressure Tracking This subscription provides daily educational messages for Veterans with hypertension and reminders to send daily blood pressure readings. 1 year 3/week SUB HTN
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Hearing Loss Tips This subscription provides bi-weekly tips for Veterans dealing with hearing loss. 26 Weeks Up to 2/Week SUB HEARING
Tinnitus Tips This subscription provides Veterans with tinnitus tips using sounds. 3 Weeks 2/Week SUB TINNITUS
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Flu Vaccine Reminder This subscription provides Veterans with flu vaccine reminders. 1 week 7/week SUB FLU
Hepatitis A Vaccine Reminder This subscription provides Veterans with a reminder to complete both Hepatitis A vaccinations. 1 month 1 message SUB HEPA
Hepatitis B Vaccine Reminder This subscription provides Veterans with reminders to complete the series of Hepatitis B Vaccinations. 1 month 2 messages SUB HEPB
Hepatitis C Vaccine Reminder This subscription provides daily medication, appointments and lab reminders, and general/clinical education and motivation to Veterans completing the 6-month Hepatitis C treatment course. 25 weeks Up to 5/week SUB HEPC
HIV Treatment Support This subscription provides daily medication reminders, appointments, refill and lab reminders, side effect assessment, needs assessment, and general/clinical education and motivation to Veterans with HIV. 3 years Up to 5/week SUB TREAT
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Grief Support This subscription offers bereaved Veterans strategies, encouragement, and education. 8 weeks 4/week SUB GRIEF
Stress Management This subscription provides educational, motivational, and skills-building texts each week to help Veterans better manage stress, set boundaries, be more mindful, learn relaxation techniques. 65 weeks 4/week SUB STRESS
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Pain Self-Management Support This subscription provides Veterans with techniques to self-manage pain through gentle movement, improved sleep, and calming the mind. 26 days 7/week SUB PAIN
Post Battlefield Acupuncture Instructions This subscription provides Veterans with follow-up instructions after the placement of Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) needles, tacks, and seeds. 4 days Up to 7/week SUB BFA
Headache Diary and Self-Management This subscription provides Veterans with tips to improve headache control and an electronic diary to better understand how headaches impact their lives. 6 months Up to 12/week SUB HEADACHE
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
CPAP Use Reminder This subscription sends reminders to Veterans with sleep apnea to use their CPAP machine by sending nightly alerts. 1 year 8/week SUB CPAP
Master Sleep Diary This subscription provides Veterans with an electronic diary to keep track of and better understand their sleep patterns. 1 month 9/day SUB SLEEP
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Spinal Cord Injury - Bowel Diary This subscription provides Veterans using the Bristol Stool Scale to track their bowel program text messages asking about their bowel program results. 90 Days Up to 5/week SUB SCIDIARY
Spinal Cord Injury - Bowel Support This subscription provides bowel program optimization for Spinal Cord Injury patients. 90 days Up to 8/week SUB BOWEL
Spinal Cord Injury - Condom Catheter Support This subscription provides assistance to SCI/D Veterans with neurogenic bladder who use condom catheterization. 90 Days Up to 10/week SUB CONCATH
Spinal Cord Injury - Indwelling Catheter Support This subscription provides assistance to SCI/D Veterans with neurogenic bladder who perform indwelling catherization. 15 weeks Up to 7/week SUB CATH
Spinal Cord Injury - Intermittent Catheter Support This subscription provides assistance to SCI/D Veterans with neurogenic bladder who perform intermittent catherization. 15 weeks Up to 7/week SUB INTCATH
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Speech Pathology - Dysphagia Support This subscription provides support and home treatment materials for Veterans diagnosed with dysphagia. 8 weeks 7/week SUB SPEECH
Subscription Name Description Duration Approximate Frequency of Texts Keyword to Subscribe
Support to Increase Activity This subscription provides Veterans with Whole Health-focused motivational/educational messages about moving the body for improved health and wellness. 1 year 4/week SUB BODY
Weight Management Support This subscription provides Veterans daily healthy living reminders to exercise, count calories, and measure weight. Includes daily educational messages for weight management. 1 month Up to 8/week SUB WEIGHT

Interacting with Annie

There are two ways you can interact with Annie.

Annie Text Messaging

If you choose to use Annie text messaging, you will receive SMS text notifications, reminders, and motivational messages directly on your phone. NOTE: Text messaging is not secure*

Annie Online

If you prefer the added security of using Annie online instead of text messaging, you can choose to only receive messages online. You can also choose to receive text notifications on your phone when you have a new message in Annie online. You can make changes to your preferences online at any time. Use Annie online to:

  • Read all Annie messages (new and old) or send Annie new messages.
  • See reports (charts and graphs) of the health data you have submitted to Annie.
  • Subscribe to VA medical facility announcements and motivational messages.
  • Start or stop receiving Annie messages.
  • View and change account settings and update your mobile phone number.

*As with any text messaging, sending, and receiving SMS texts with Annie is not secure. Text messages are not encrypted (scrambled to make it hard for people to get and read your information) when being sent and received. Texts can remain on your phone and with the companies that transmit the messages forever. If anyone else has access to your phone, they may be able to read text messages from Annie intended only for you.

Known Issues: 

Internet Explorer No Longer Supported

The Annie Web App no longer supports any version of Internet Explorer, including IE11. It is recommended that you use Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, or Safari.

Making a Bookmark:

The Annie Web App bookmark must be exact. To bookmark the Annie App, use the exact URL that was provided https://veteran.mobile.va.gov/annie-vet/. It is recommended to create the bookmark after you have completely logged into Annie.

Not Getting Replies to Text Messages:

If you selected SMS text messaging as your communications preference, then you should receive texts from Annie. We have encountered some users who have cellular carriers that block SMS texts or who receive "Service Denied" when sending a text.

If you don't get a response to your text right after you send it, or are not receiving text messages from Annie, then please call the Help Desk at 1-877-470-5947. They will help to resolve the issue.

Readings not accepted by Annie:

  • For users new to Annie, if you receive a message from Annie that states “I did understand your text. Be sure your texts use the KEYWORD and response correctly,” it means you are not subscribed to any protocols. Send the SUB command to Annie to Self-Subscribe to a protocol or contact your healthcare team for assistance to subscribe to a protocol.
  • For users subscribed to a protocol, if you receive a message from Annie that states “Thank you. You are not subscribed to any protocols at this time,” it means your subscription(s) has expired. If the subscription was a Self-Subscribe protocol, re-subscribe by texting SUB to Annie. If the subscription was setup by your healthcare team, please contact them for assistance.

Forward Slash “/”:

Sometimes the forward slash character does not display properly in texts from Annie. As an example, 1/2 cup of coffee may show as 1?2 cup of coffee.

If this happens, please call the Help Desk at 1-877-470-5947 to let us know.

Annie App Messages:

When using the Annie App to send a message, please ensure that you click the refresh button of your browser after sending the message to see Annie’s complete response. Please hit refresh even if you receive a response from Annie to ensure that there are not additional messages from Annie.

Additionally, please wait until you receive Annie’s complete response prior to sending additional messages to Annie.

Nonsense Texts:

If you have an older cell phone, some text messages may show up with symbols and letters that don’t make sense. If this happens, please call the Help Desk at 1-877-470-5947.

Viewing Your Message History on a Mobile Device:

If you have difficulty seeing the messages to and from Annie in the Message History of the app, then please ensure that you have scrolled to the bottom of the listing of messages.

Download Materials

Highlights

  • Annie’s Care

    Annie is a VA messaging service that empowers Veterans to take an active role in their care. Messages you receive from Annie can include reminders to take your medication, tips for reducing stress, instructions to prepare for your health care appointments, and more. Annie can also send you broadcast messages from your VA medical center. Once you are registered for Annie and have chosen your Annie health subscriptions, you will receive automated text messages*. Annie helps you take charge of your health, one text at a time.

  • My Messages

    Every message you receive and send is stored in Annie so that you can review them any time. To see your past messages, select the My Messages tab at the top of the screen. Messages that you sent to and received from Annie will be displayed, including dates and times

  • My Data

    Based on the measurements you’ve sent to Annie, you will be able to see charts and tables displaying your information.

    *Annie works on any mobile phone that can send and receive text messages. Text messaging and data rates may apply, depending on your phone plan. Message frequency will vary depending on the health subscriptions you have chosen and the preferences you selected during registration. As with any text messaging, sending and receiving SMS texts with Annie is not secure. Text messages are not encrypted (scrambled to make it hard for people to get and read your information) when being sent and received. Texts can remain on your phone and with the companies that transmit the messages forever. If anyone else has access to your phone, they may be able to read text messages from Annie intended only for you.

Annie is a VA messaging service that empowers Veterans to take an active role in their care. Messages you receive from Annie can include reminders to take your medication, tips for reducing stress, instructions to prepare for your health care appointments, and more. Annie can also send you broadcast messages from your VA medical center. Once you are registered for Annie and have chosen your Annie health subscriptions, you will receive automated text messages. Annie helps you take charge of your health, one text at a time.
Annie helps you take better care of yourself by sending you health-related text messages and reminders. You can choose what types of messages to receive based on your personal health care needs. Your responses and health readings are stored in Annie, which gives your care team the option to review the information to help them make decisions about your care plan. Join tens of thousands of Veterans who successfully use Annie and start improving your self-care today.

To use Annie, you must have ID.me, DS Logon Level 2 (Premium), or My HealtheVet Premium account credentials for registration. Annie works on any mobile phone that can send and receive text messages. You can also use Annie online on a computer, tablet, or smartphone connected to the internet.

If you do not have an ID.me, DS Logon Level 2 (Premium), or My HealtheVet Premium Account, or you are not sure, visit mobile.va.gov/login-information for more information.

Annie is named after a courageous and heroic nurse who served during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Lieutenant Annie G. Fox was Chief Nurse in the Army Nurse Corps at Hickam Field, and she was the first woman to receive the Purple Heart for combat.
No. Annie messages are automated and are not regularly checked by your care team. Your provider cannot directly exchange text messages with you through Annie. Annie cannot be used:
  • To contact your VA health care team directly about specific health concerns.
  • To view general medical information or records in My HealtheVet.
  • For an emergency or crisis. Call 911 or contact the Veterans Crisis Line (800-273-8255 and press 1).
Yes. Anyone who is enrolled in VA health care can use Annie. To begin, you must register first. Visit mobile.va.gov/annie#register for step-by-step instructions on how to get started.
To use Annie, you must register first. The registration process is quick and easy and collects basic information such as your mobile phone number and your user preferences. Follow the instructions below to register:
  1. Go to Annie for Veterans
  2. Select Your Log In Preference: My HealtheVet Premium, DS Logon Level 2, or ID.me. (Read more about secure account credentials or contact your VAMC and ask for the My HealtheVet coordinator.)
  3. Use the Wizard to register:
    • Consent
      • Read the entire Information and Disclosure Factsheet. Once you have scrolled all the way down to the bottom, if you want to use Annie, check the consent box indicating that you give your consent to participate. You will NOT be able to check the box if you do not scroll to the bottom of the agreement.
      • Select Next.
    • Patient Information
      • Fill in your mobile phone, re-enter it, and select your time zone.
      • Select Next.
    • Preferences
      • After reviewing ‘Receiving and Replying to Annie Messages,’ select how you would like to interact with Annie (via text message, Annie online, or both).
      • Select Next.
    • Broadcast Message
      You can decide to receive limited broadcast messages from Annie. These messages include important information from your VA medical center, and they will be sent depending on the topics of interest you choose during registration. You can update your preferences at any time by visiting Annie online.
      • The box is selected by default to receive these messages, if you would not like to receive these messages, then uncheck the box and skip step ‘b.’
      • To move forward and receive messages:
        • Select your VA Medical Center.
        • Select the topics of interest that you would like to receive messages about.
      • Select Submit.
  4. You will receive the following message from Annie confirming your participation “Hi, it’s Annie! Welcome! I am very happy to connect with you. Text HELP for help. Text STOP to Stop. Msg & Data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies.”
  5. Once you have registered, you can subscribe to receive Annie messages about your specific health interests.

During the registration process, you can decide to receive limited broadcast messages from Annie. These messages include important information from your VA medical center, and they will be sent depending on the topics of interest you choose. You can update your preferences at any time by visiting Annie online.

Once you have registered, you can subscribe to receive Annie messages about your specific health interests. There are many Annie health subscriptions to choose from. If one interests you, text SUB, followed by the health subscription’s keyword, to Annie (75338). For example, to subscribe to medication reminders, text SUB MED. A full list of available health subscriptions can be found here: mobile.va.gov/annie#subscription.

The number and frequency of messages depends on the health subscriptions and broadcast messages you are signed up for. You can view the amount and timing of messages you receive by visiting Annie online. To see this information, select My Settings at the top of the screen. You will see a list of upcoming messages that will be sent to you by Annie, including any requests from Annie for health readings that you are tracking. For each message, you can see its name or the type of information requested, when and how often messages are sent, and the date when you started getting messages from Annie.
There are two ways you can interact with Annie:
  • Annie Text Messaging – If you choose to use Annie text messaging, you will receive SMS text notifications, reminders, and motivational messages directly on your phone. NOTE: Text messaging is not secure*
  • Annie Online – If you prefer the added security of using Annie online instead of text messaging, you can choose to only receive messages online. You can also choose to receive text notifications on your phone when you have a new message in Annie online. You can make changes to your preferences online at any time. You can also use Annie online to see all messages and readings you have sent to Annie, send new messages to Annie, view reports of the health data you have submitted to Annie, and view a schedule of messages Annie will send.

NOTE: To use Annie online, you must log in using your ID.me, DS Logon Level 2 (Premium), or My HealtheVet Premium account credentials

*As with any text messaging, sending, and receiving SMS texts with Annie is not secure. Text messages are not encrypted (scrambled to make it hard for people to get and read your information) when being sent and received. Texts can remain on your phone and with the companies that transmit the messages forever. If anyone else has access to your phone, they may be able to read text messages from Annie intended only for you.

Annie online is free to use. If you choose to exchange text messages with Annie, text messaging and data rates may apply depending on your phone plan.
There are two ways to receive messages: through text messaging and Annie online. For text messaging, make sure Annie has your correct mobile phone number (see “What if I change my Mobile Phone Number?” below). If you use Annie text messaging, Annie will send you texts just as you would receive from a friend or family member. If you use Annie online, you can check for and read messages online. You can also choose to receive text notifications on your phone when you have a new message online. You will then need to log in to Annie online to check the message.

There are two ways to send messages to Annie: through texting and Annie online. For both of these methods, Annie will send a message that asks you to respond with a health measure. Annie uses keywords to know what kind of information you are sending. The letters can be upper or lower case and spelling has to be EXACT. Depending on the information you send, Annie will tell you how to respond. When you respond to Annie by sending your readings (such as your blood pressure measurement), you must start your message with a keyword or abbreviation so that Annie understands your message.

For example, if Annie asked you to send your temperature, and your reading at home is 98˚F, you would type: TEMP 98 or temp 98. If you respond with 98, without the ‘Temp’, Annie will not understand your message. If you use Annie online, select My Messages at the top of the screen. Type Temp 98 in the Enter Message box at the bottom, then select Send.

Every message you receive from and send to Annie will be recorded so you can look at them at any time in Annie online. To see past messages, select My Messages at the top of the screen. Messages you sent to and received from Annie will be shown, including dates and times. Scroll through the messages using the bars to the right and below the messages or filter your messages by keyword by selecting the drop-down menu next to Filter Messages By.
If you have sent readings for health tracking to Annie, you can see a report with your information in Annie online. Select My Data at the top of the screen and choose the type of health information (such as blood pressure, weight, etc.) you would like to see from the list on the left side of the screen. Annie will show you a report of your readings as charts and tables of the information you have sent, including the date and time. You can adjust the time period by selecting a date range.

To stop receiving messages from Annie or stop participating in Annie, type and send the message: “STOP.” Text Stop 1 to stop broadcast messages. Text Stop 2 to stop health messages. Text Stop 3 to stop participation in Annie.

If you want to start receiving messages again, text “START” to Annie. You can also log in to Annie online to update your message preferences.

If your phone number has changed, you can update it by visiting Annie online and selecting My Settings. Be sure to contact your care team and provide them with your new phone number as well.
Annie messages are automated and are not regularly checked by your care team. Your provider cannot directly exchange text messages with you through Annie. If Annie tells you to notify your care team, or if you have questions about your readings or the messages Annie sends you, contact your provider directly.

More resources, such as a Slideshow and At A Glance, can be found on mobile.va.gov/app/annie-app-veterans. You can access these materials in Annie online by selecting the dropdown menu next to your name in the upper right corner of the screen and selecting Help. A pop-up box will appear with a number for the VA Help Desk and a link to additional training materials. Select the Training Materials hyperlink, and you will go to mobile.va.gov/app/annie-app-veterans.

If you need help or technical assistance using Annie, or to report a problem, call 1-877-470-5947 to speak with a VA representative. For TTY assistance, dial 711.

To ask for assistance from Annie, type and send the message: “HELP.” Annie will respond with help desk information and a list of the available Annie commands.

The best way to use Annie is to partner with your VA care team. If you have questions about using Annie or about your health readings, contact your care team. Annie is not for urgent or emergency issues. If you have an emergency, call your local medical center or dial 911. If you think that any of your health information has been seen by others due to loss or theft, contact your local VA medical facility and ask for the Privacy Officer. To locate your local VA facility, visit VA’s Facility Locator.

If you experience technical glitches with Annie online or Annie text messages, please report the issue by calling 1-877-470-5947. Your feedback will help us to continually improve the app.

Application Feedback Form

Feedback submission is anonymous.

(Please note: we will be unable to respond to you, even if you leave contact information)

Health Resource Center Help Desk: 877-470-5947
  • For Veterans needing assistance with all apps — except VA Video Connect
  • Weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET
Office of Connected Care Help Desk: 866-651-3180
  • For VA Care Teams needing assistance with telehealth and all apps
  • For Veterans needing assistance with VA Video Connect
  • 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Correspondence Address
VHA Office of Connected Care (12CC)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420