Looking for Benefits After the Service?
Healthcare for Veterans
Your separation from the service does not mean you must separate from your healthcare benefits. Health care for Veterans, such as the one offered by the Veterans Administration (VA), ensures that you maintain your health care benefits for you and your family.
However, your eligibility and level of coverage depends on different variables. In fact, the nature of your discharge from military service — honorable, other than honorable, or dishonorable discharge — factors into your coverage; so does your length of service, VA adjudicated disabilities (or commonly referred to as service-connected disabilities), income level, and available VA resources among others.
Generally, you must be enrolled in VA health care system to receive benefits offered in the Medical Benefits Package. To apply for VA health care benefits, including enrollment you must fill out an application. We use the application to determine:
- Whether you have qualifying service as a veteran
- What your veteran status is so that you can be placed into one of the priority groups
Once you apply for enrollment, your eligibility will be verified. Based on your specific eligibility status, you will be assigned a priority group.
The priority groups range from No. 1 to No. 8 with No.1 being the highest priority for enrollment. Under the Medical Benefits Package, the same services are generally available to all enrolled veterans.
Be sure to visit the VA Health Care Eligibility website to get the most current information.
- Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 50 percent or more disabling, or
- Veterans determined by VA to be unemployable due to service-connected conditions
- Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 30 percent or 40 percent disabling
- Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 10 percent or 20 percent disabling
- Veterans who are former POWs
- Veterans awarded the Purple Heart
- Veterans whose discharge was for a disability that began in the line of duty
- Veterans who are disabled because of VA treatment or participation in VA vocational rehabilitation program
- Veterans who are receiving aid and attendance or housebound benefits
- Veterans who have been determined by VA to be catastrophically disabled
- Veterans receiving VA pension benefits
- Veterans who are eligible for Medicaid programs
- Veterans with income and assets below VA Means Test Thresholds
- Veterans with 0 percent service-connected conditions, but receiving VA compensation
- Veterans seeking care only for disorders relating to Ionizing Radiation and Project 112/SHAD
- Veterans seeking care for Agent Orange Exposure during service in Vietnam
- Veterans seeking care for Gulf War Illness or for conditions related to exposure to during service in the Persian Gulf
- Veterans of World War I or the Mexican Border War
- Veterans who served in combat in a war after the Gulf War or during a period of hostility after Nov. 11, 1998 for two years following discharge or release from the military
- More information about combat veteran eligibility
- Veterans who agree to pay specified copay with income and/or net worth above VA Income Threshold and income below the Geographic Means Test Threshold
- Subpriority a: Noncompensable 0 percent service-connected veterans who were enrolled in VA Health Care System on a specified date and who have remained enrolled since that date
- Subpriority c: Nonservice-connected veterans who were enrolled in VA Health Care System on a specified date and who have remained enrolled since that date
- Subpriority e: Noncompensable 0 percent service-connected veterans not included in Subpriority a above. VA is not currently using Subpriority e.
- Subpriority g: Nonservice-connected veterans not included in Subpriority c above. VA is not currently using Subpriority g.
Veterans who agree to pay specified co-pay with income and/or net worth above VA Means Test threshold and the Geographic Means Test Threshold.
- Subpriority a: Noncompensable 0 percent service-connected veterans enrolled as of Jan. 16, 2003 and who have remained enrolled since that date.
- Subpriority c: Nonservice-connected veterans enrolled as of Jan. 16, 2003 and who have remained enrolled since that date.
- Subpriority e: Noncompensable 0 percent service-connected veterans applying for enrollment after Jan. 16, 2003.
- Subpriority g: Nonservice-connected veterans applying for enrollment after Jan. 16, 2003.
Your benefits are an important part of your military service. If you’re still unsure of your eligibility for VA Health Care benefits visit the Veterans Administration website at www.va.gov. And if you would like more information on using your benefits visit www.helmetstohardhats.org.
