Skip to Content

Family Health History

Use the Family Health History feature to enter important health information about you and your family.

Your Family Health History is a record of diseases and health conditions that run in your family. It can help identify if you are at risk for common health problems. This may include a risk for possible heart problems, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, diabetes and more.

It is important to share your Family Health History with your VA and/or non-VA health care team, your caregiver, or others who help you manage your health. By having this information, they may:

  • Take steps to lower your risk of health problems. For example, your provider may put you on medicine to lower your cholesterol levels.

  • Recommend more frequent screening tests or screen for certain diseases/conditions at an earlier age.

  • Advise you to make certain lifestyle changes. This may include an increase your physical activity, to lose weight, stop smoking, etc.

  • Create a partnership with you around your health

General Information:

Viewing and entering information in your Family Health History is simple. It is easy to use, private and secure. As long as you have Internet access, you can view it anytime from anywhere. To access this feature all you have to do is register for a My HealtheVet account, then:

  1. Select the Track Health tab at the top of the page

  2. Select Health History

  3. Select Family Health History

  4. Enter your personal health history as well as that of other family members

If you wish to view, print or download your Family Health History along with the other information in your My HealtheVet account, use the VA Blue Button. You can then share it with your health care team.

Resources

Visit Frequently Asked Questions for answers to common questions.

Why create a Family Health History? A family health history is a written record of a family's health. The history contains information about a family's medical conditions, lifestyle habits (for example, whether anyone in the family has smoked), and where and how family members grew up. It's like a family tree for health.

Before You Start Your Family Health History - Tips to help you gather what you need to create your own family health portrait

Updated October 25, 2019