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VA Health Care Eligibility
Overview
VA provides a Medical Benefits Package, a standard enhanced health benefits
plan available to all enrolled veterans. This plan emphasizes preventive
and primary care, and offers a full range of outpatient and inpatient
services within VA health care system.
All Veterans are Potentially Eligible
- Eligibility for most veterans' health care benefits is based solely
on active military service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or
Coast Guard (or Merchant Marines during WW II), and discharged under
other than dishonorable conditions.
- Reservists and National Guard members who were called to active duty
by a Federal Executive Order may qualify for VA health care benefits.
Returning service members, including Reservists and National Guard members
who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations have special
eligibility for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care
for two years following discharge from active duty.
- Health Care eligibility is not just for those who served in combat.
- Other groups may be eligible for some health benefits.
- Veteran's health care is not just for service-connected injuries or
medical conditions.
- Veteran's health care facilities are not just for men only. VA offers
full-service health care to women veterans.
Enrollment Priority Groups
The number of veterans who can be enrolled in the health care program
is determined by the amount of money Congress gives VA each year. Since
funds are limited, VA set up priority groups to make sure that certain
groups of veterans are able to be enrolled before others. A priority system
ensures that veterans with service-connected disabilities and those below
the low-income threshold are able to be enrolled in VA's health care system.
VA maintains an annual enrollment system to manage the provision of quality
hospital and outpatient medical care and treatment to all enrolled veterans.
Once you apply for enrollment, your eligibility will be verified. While
many veterans qualify for cost-free health care services based on a compensable
service-connected condition or other qualifying factor, most veterans
are required to complete an annual financial assessment or Means test
to determine if they qualify for cost-free services.
Based on your specific eligibility status, you will be assigned a priority
group. The priority groups range from 1-8 with 1 being the highest priority
for enrollment. Please
note that veterans who are applying for enrollment who are assigned to
Priority 8 are not eligible for enrollment or care of their nonservice-connected
conditions.
For more information call 1 877-222-8387 or visit:
http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/eligibility/
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