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VA Health Care is the umbrella benefit that covers enrollment in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system. Veterans who served in the active military, naval, or air service and were not dishonorably discharged may qualify. Reservists and National Guard members may qualify if they were called to active duty by a federal order. Once enrolled, veterans are assigned to 1 of 8 priority groups based on military service history, disability rating, income level, Medicaid eligibility, and other VA benefits received (such as VA pension). Priority group drives both how soon enrollment is completed and how much (if anything) the veteran pays in copays. The PACT Act expanded eligibility to all veterans exposed to toxins or other hazards (burn pits, Agent Orange, etc.), including everyone who served in the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other combat zone after 9/11. VHA delivers care at VA Medical Centers (VAMCs), Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), Vet Centers, and via Community Care contracts.
You served on active duty in the military, naval, or air service and were not dishonorably discharged. If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, you generally need 24 continuous months or your full call-up period, with exceptions for hardship, disability, or an early-out. Reserves and National Guard members must have been called to federal active duty and finished the full ordered period. Training time alone does not count. You may get enhanced eligibility, meaning a higher priority group, if any of these apply: you receive VA pay for a service-connected disability, you were discharged for a line-of-duty disability, you are a combat veteran discharged on or after 9/11/2001, you receive a VA pension, you are a former prisoner of war, you have a Purple Heart or Medal of Honor, you are eligible for Medicaid, you have a history of toxic exposure, you served in Southwest Asia during the Gulf War between 8/2/1990 and 11/11/1998, you served at Camp Lejeune for 30 or more days between 8/1/1953 and 12/31/1987, or you had Vietnam-era service in qualifying locations. You may also qualify based on income alone, even without any of these. Veterans with an other-than-honorable, bad-conduct, or dishonorable discharge can apply for a discharge upgrade or a VA Character of Discharge review.
Priority groups (summary). Group 1: service-connected disability rated 50% or higher, or unable to work because of a service-connected disability, or Medal of Honor. Group 2: service-connected disability rated 30 to 40%. Group 3: former prisoner of war, Purple Heart, discharged for a line-of-duty disability, service-connected disability rated 10 to 20%, or special eligibility for a disability caused by VA care or vocational rehab. Group 4: receiving VA Aid and Attendance or housebound benefits, or determined catastrophically disabled. Group 5: no service-connected disability, or a 0% service-connected disability that pays nothing, with income below the adjusted limits, or receiving a VA pension, or eligible for Medicaid. Group 6: a 0% service-connected disability that pays a benefit, Project 112/SHAD, World War II service, Persian Gulf service from 1990 to 1998, and Camp Lejeune for 30 or more days. Veterans who served in a combat theater after 11/11/1998 and were discharged on or after 10/1/2013 get a 10-year enhanced eligibility window under Group 6, and veterans discharged on or after 9/11/2001 but before 10/1/2013 may also get the 10-year window under a related PACT Act rule. Group 6 also covers a toxic exposure risk activity, qualifying toxic-exposure deployments, ionizing-radiation exposure, and Agent Orange exposure locations. Group 7: income below the geographic income limits and agrees to pay copays. Group 8: income above VA limits and agrees to pay copays, with extra subpriority rules (levels a through g).
What it covers
Full medical care including primary care, specialty care, mental health, hospital care, prescription drugs, and geriatric and extended care such as Community Living Centers, community living, home-based primary care, adult day health care, hospice, respite, and more. Also preventive eye exams, vision care, limited dental in some cases, emergency care, and care for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma (MST), and other conditions. Combat veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn) can get free medical care for any service-related condition for 10 years after discharge.
Cost
Cost depends on your priority group. Groups 1 to 4 generally have no copays for most VA care. Groups 5 to 6 have limited copays. Groups 7 to 8 pay copays for inpatient hospital care, outpatient care, prescriptions, and extended care. See the VA copay rates page for current figures. They change every year and are not listed here.
How to apply
Apply online at va.gov/health-care/apply, by phone at 877-222-VETS (8387), in person at any VA Medical Center, or by mailing VA Form 10-10EZ. You can get help from an accredited veterans service officer or your state's veterans agency. In Washington, that's the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) or a County Veterans Service Officer.
Where to go from here
Not sure this one fits your situation? Your local Area Agency on Aging can check what you qualify for and point you to the right programs, for free. No one will sell your information, and no one will cold-call you.