VA Health Care

About This Program

VA health care provides comprehensive medical services to eligible veterans through VA medical centers, outpatient clinics, and community care arrangements with private providers. Covered services include primary care, specialty care, mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, prescriptions, rehabilitation, prosthetics, and women's health services. Dental care is available to veterans with certain service-connected conditions, those who are 100% disabled, and other qualifying circumstances. Eligibility requires that you served on active duty and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Most veterans meet this requirement. Priority groups determine cost-sharing: veterans with service-connected disabilities, former POWs, Medal of Honor recipients, and veterans with low incomes are in the highest priority groups and pay little or nothing. Veterans in lower priority groups pay copays for some services. Enrollment is the first step — it is not automatic even if you are obviously eligible. You can enroll online at va.gov/health-care/apply, by phone, or in person at a VA facility. Once enrolled, you are assigned to a primary care team at your nearest VA. If the VA cannot provide a needed service within a reasonable distance or timeframe, the Community Care Network allows you to see private providers at VA expense. Veterans who avoided VA health care due to distance, wait times, or past negative experiences should be aware that the system has changed significantly since the MISSION Act (2018) expanded access to community care. Many veterans who live far from a VA facility now receive most of their care from local private providers, billed to VA.

Eligibility Requirements

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