VA Health Care for Veterans

If you’re a veteran who served with honor, you’re eligible to enroll for VA Health Care. The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system with more than 1,700 VA medical centers and outpatient clinics across the U.S.

World-class health care at little to no cost

You may not need it today — or tomorrow — or for years to come. But all veterans should apply to be able to take advantage of an entire network of high-quality comprehensive VA health care and medical benefits at little to no cost, including:

• Preventive, primary, and specialty care
• Prescriptions
• Medical equipment, prosthetics and more
• Mental health care
• Home health care
• Geriatrics and extended care

Women veterans’ services also include:

• Primary care
• Breast and cervical cancer screenings
• Prenatal care, maternity care coverage
• Other gender-specific services

Beyond medical benefits, other VA programs include:

• VA dental care
• VA hearing and vision benefits
• Alcohol/drug dependency treatment
• Veterans’ mental health services and coverage
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder treatment
• VA assisted living
• Agent Orange assistance
• Traumatic Brain Injury rehabilitation
• Family caregiver program

Can I apply? Am I eligible?

If you served in the active military, naval or air service and are separated under any condition other than dishonorable, you may qualify for VA health care benefits. National Guard and reserve service members who have completed the full call-up period of active duty can apply. Here’s how the enrollment process works:

1. To apply, you’ll need:
   • Proof of discharge papers such as DD-214
   • Any additional health insurance information, including coverage through a spouse or domestic partner
   • Wage and financial information, including previous calendar-year gross income for the veteran, spouse and dependent children
2. Once you apply for enrollment, your application will be processed and your eligibility verified.
3. You’ll recieve notification of your Priority Group.
4. VA has set up Priority Groups to make sure that certain groups of veterans can be enrolled before others. You’re assigned to your group based on several factors.
5. Priority Groups range from one to eight with one being the highest priority for enrollment. Based on your eligibility and income, you may have to agree to pay a copay to be placed in certain Priority Groups. Some veterans may not be eligible for enrollment.

What help will I get? Is it worth it to apply?

The Health Benefits Explorer tool from VA can help you quickly learn about the VA health care benefits you could receive as an enrolled veteran. You should apply after you use the tool to receive your official determination of benefits.

More reasons to sign up

• Low- to no-cost health care. Most veterans qualify for cost-free health care services, although some veterans must pay modest copays for health care or prescriptions.
• Your health may change. Regardless of how healthy you are or whether you need coverage, you should apply. Someday your Priority Group might change.
• You’re covered for the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in VA health care satisfies your Affordable Care Act health coverage requirement — no add-on insurance plan is needed.
• Keep your health insurance. You can keep your present health insurance, including Medicare.
• Extra options for combat veterans. If you’re a combat veteran, you have additional time to enroll and more services available to you, regardless of your disability status.

Four easy ways to apply

1. Apply online.
2. Call 1-877-222-8387 Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST
3. In Person: Find your nearby VA center.
4. Mail: Print, fill out and mail a 10-10EZ form to: Health Eligibility Center, Enrollment Eligibility Center, 2957 Clairmont Road, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30329-1647

To learn more

• Visit ExploreVA for an overview of VA Health Benefits.
• See this map to find Veteran Health Administration locations near you.
• Check here for an online sample of “Understanding Your VA Health Benefits” handbook.