By Larry Dandridge
This week veterans asked me the following two questions – “Can I get free VA health care as a Veteran?” and “Will I need to pay for any of my care, tests, or medications?”
The detailed answers to these two questions can be found in the:
- YouTube Video titled VETERAN COPAYMENTS, found at https://bit.ly/3N4i9fn,
- VA webpage titled 2023 VA HEALTH CARE COPAY RATES, found at https://bit.ly/3N9vBP8,
- VA webpage titled YOUR HEALTHCARE COSTS https://bit.ly/3N9QQjI, and
- The many other sources of information in the VETERAN COPAYMENTS video, the VA 2023 VA HEALTH CARE COPAY RATES web page, and the VA YOUR HEALTHCARE COSTS webpage.
Answer to question 1, Can I get free VA health care as a Veteran?
The VA provides free healthcare for conditions related to military service and for veterans with catastrophic disabilities and service-connected disability ratings of at least 50%, as well as for those veterans who cannot afford to pay for care.
Veterans can get free VA health care for any illness or injury that the VA determines is related to the veteran’s military service (called “service-connected). The VA also provides the following services for free:
- Readjustment counseling and related mental health services,
- Care for issues related to military sexual trauma (MST), and
- A registry health exam to determine if a veteran is at risk of health problems linked to their military service.
Mental Health Care: Find out how to get VA mental health care at the VA Mental Health Services webpage https://bit.ly/3H8KAoE.
Military Sexual Trauma Care: Find out how to get VA health care for Military Sexual Trauma at the VA MST webpage https://bit.ly/3V0zcAJ.
Health Care related to military service history: Find out which health concerns veterans should be aware of depending on when and where they served at the VA Veterans Health Issues Related To Service History webpage https://bit.ly/3HaXyCm.
More services the VA provides at no cost: Veterans can read about more services the VA provides at no cost at the 2023 VA Health Care Copay Rates webpage https://bit.ly/3N9hhWL.
Veterans may qualify for additional free VA health care depending on their income, disability rating, or other special eligibility factors.
Answer to question 2, Will I need to pay for any of my care, tests, or medications?
According to the VA webpage at https://bit.ly/3N9QQjI, veterans may need to pay a fixed amount for some types of care, tests, and medications they receive from a VA healthcare provider or an approved community healthcare provider to treat conditions not related to their service. This is called a copay.
Whether or not a veteran will need to pay copays and how much they pay depends on their disability rating, income level, military service record, and which of the VA’s 8 priority groups the VA assigns the veteran to when they enroll in VA health care. For example, if a veteran has a service-connected condition that the VA rated at 50% or more disabling or that the VA determined that the veteran is unable to work (called unemployable), or if the veteran received a Medal of Honor, the VA will assign the veteran to priority group 1 and the veteran will not pay copays for any types of care, tests, or medications.
VA Priority Groups: Learn more about priority groups at the VA Priority Groups webpage https://bit.ly/41UB9Rp. You may also want to read The Island News article titled, Veterans should know their VA Priority Group, dated January 5, 2022, by Larry Dandridge, found at https://bit.ly/40uWyQ9.
Current Copay Rates: Veterans can review 2023 VA Health Care Copay Rates at https://bit.ly/3N9vBP8.
VA Healthcare Eligibility Requirements: Veterans who have not yet applied for VA health care, can review VA health care eligibility requirements or use the VA Health Benefits Explorer tool to see what their copays might be if they enroll. Learn more about VA healthcare eligibility requirements at the Eligibilty For VA Health Care webpage https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/. The VA Annual Income Limits are found at https://bit.ly/43YpB1n.
Watch the Veteran Copayments Video: The VA YouTube Video titled Veteran Copayments found at https://bit.ly/3N4i9fn explains why some veterans are charged copayments when they receive VA health care, how to pay a copayment, and how to address copayment debts.
VA Services that do not require a copay
Veterans will not need to pay a copay for any of the services listed below, no matter what their disability rating is or what priority group they are in.
- Readjustment counseling and related mental health services. See VA Mental Health webpage https://bit.ly/3H8KAoE.
- Counseling and care for issues related to military sexual trauma. See VA Military Sexual Trauma (MST) webpage https://bit.ly/3V0zcAJ.
- Exams to determine your risk of health problems linked to your military service. See VA Veterans Health Issues Related To Service History (OEF, OIF, Gulf War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Korean War, WWII) webpage at https://bit.ly/3HaXyCm.
- Care that may be related to combat service for Veterans that served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998. See VA Active-Duty Service Members And VA Health Care webpage https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/active-duty/. If you are serving on active duty, including as a returning OEF/OIF/OND service member, find out how to apply for VA healthcare upon receiving separation or retirement orders.
- VA Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams. See VA Claim Exam (C&P EXAM) webpage https://www.va.gov/disability/va-claim-exam/.
- Care related to a VA-rated service-connected disability. See VA About VA Disability Ratings webpage https://www.va.gov/disability/about-disability-ratings/.
- Care for cancer of head or neck caused by nose or throat radium treatments received while in the military. See VA Ionizing Radiation Registry Health Exam For Veterans webpage https://bit.ly/41QmVRN.
- Individual or group programs to help you quit smoking or lose weight. See VA Veterans’ Programs For Health And Wellness webpage https://www.va.gov/health-care/wellness-programs/.
- Care that’s part of a VA research project (like the Million Veteran Program). See VA Million Veteran Program (MVP) https://bit.ly/43WRmHK.
- Laboratory (lab) tests.
- Electrocardiograms (EKGs or ECGs) to check for heart disease or other heart problems
- VA health initiatives that are open to the public (like health fairs).
Get VSO help
Ask a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) to help you understand your veteran’s benefits and assist you in filing a claim for your Federal and State veterans’ benefits. Read about VA Accredited Representatives and how to find one at https://bit.ly/3rNLdvy, https://bit.ly/41PPiQM, and https://bit.ly/3qbLVSL.
Continued next week.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.
