VA - Health Care - Basic Medical Benefits Package for Veterans
Program Description
Veterans Medical Care Benefits provide outpatient medical services, hospital care, medicines, and supplies to eligible Veterans. To receive health care, Veterans generally must be enrolled in the VA health system. They may apply for enrollment at any time. Veterans do not have to be enrolled in the VA health system if they have service-connected disabilities of 50 percent or more, want care for a disability that the military determined was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, or want care for a service-connected disability only. Veterans with service-connected disabilities living or traveling overseas must register with the Foreign Medical Program regardless of the degree of disability.One exciting new feature of enrollment in VA health care is that you gain access to all the services of MyHealtheVet. My HealtheVet is a free, online Personal Health Record that empowers Veterans to become informed partners in their health care. With this Internet service, America's Veterans can access trusted, secure, and current health and benefits information as well as record, track and store important health and military history information at their convenience. Veterans who are enrolled in a VA facility can refill their VA prescriptions and more. You can take a look for yourself by visiting http://www.myhealth.va.gov/.
General Program Requirements
This topic addresses basic eligibility for Veterans' health care. The majority of other VA health care services listed in Benefits.gov are dependent on basic eligibility as shown in this entry.Eligibility for most Veterans' health care benefits is based solely on active military service in one of the seven uniformed services. These services are:
- The Army
- The Navy
- The Air Force
- The Marine Corps
- The Coast Guard
- The Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service
- The Commissioned Officer Corps of the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Some other groups (http://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/apply/allied_beneficiaries.asp) may be eligible for some health benefits.
You must have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. If your separation papers indicate your service was other than honorable, VA must study your service records to see if you qualify.
There is no special requirement regarding the length of your military service if you entered before the 1980s. If you first entered active duty as an enlisted person after September 7, 1980, or as an officer after October 16, 1981, then you probably have to meet a minimum active duty requirement:
- For reservists and Guard members who were called to federal active duty by an executive order, the usual requirement is that you served the full length of time you were ordered to serve.
- For all others, the usual requirement is 24 months of continuous service.
- There are a number of exceptions to these rules.
Because of budget requirements, VA cannot offer health care to every Veteran who meets these basic requirements. The law contains a complex system of priorities, mostly based on disability, income, and age.
