Health Insurance for Veterans

Insurance Online -> Health Insurance -> Health Insurance Articles -> Health Insurance for Veterans

Congress passed the Veteran’s Health Care Eligibility Reform Act in October of 1996 which created a Medical Benefits Package available to all enrolled veterans. This package encourages preventative care and provides for outpatient and inpatient services. There is an annual enrollment system to ensure the quality of health care and services to veterans. Low-income veterans and those with service-connected disabilities are ensured enrollment in the program. All enrolled veterans are able to carry the veteran health insurance benefits to any VA hospital or VA health care facility.

Qualifications

Active military personnel of the following sectors and any that have been discharged (other than for dishonorable conditions):

Army
Navy
Air Force
Marines
Coast Guard
Merchant Marines during WWII
Reservist National Guard members who have been called to active duty under the Federal Executive Order

Medical Benefits Package

All veterans are eligible for the standard benefits included in the Medical Benefits Package for veteran health insurance coverage. This includes a variety of preventative care as well as some inpatient and outpatient services. Additional services may be offered to veterans under special circumstances depending on eligibility and needs. According to the Department for Veteran Affairs, the following are services covered under the Medical Benefits Package as health insurance for veterans:

Preventative Care services includes:

Immunizations
Physical Examinations
Health Care Assessments
Screening Tests
Health Education Programs

Ambulatory (outpatient) diagnostic and treatment services include:

Emergency outpatient care in VA facilities
Medical
Surgical (including reconstructive/plastic surgery as a result of disease or trauma)
Chiropractic care
Mental Health
Bereavement Counseling
Substance Abuse

Hospital (inpatient) diagnostic and treatment services include:

Emergency inpatient care in VA facilities
Medical
Surgical (including reconstructive/plastic surgery as a result of disease or trauma)
Mental Health
Substance Abuse

Medications and Supplies covered under the Medical Benefits Package include:

Prescription medications
Over-the-counter medications
Medical and surgical supplies

Special and Limited Benefits

Special and Limited Benefits are eligible under veteran health insurance for veterans under special circumstances. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, these benefits include:

Agent Orange Exposure Treatment and Registry Examination – veterans exposed to Agent Orange during time in Vietnam are eligible for cost-free health care for disabilities or diseases that may be associated with exposure. They are also eligible for enrollment in Priority 6 unless they are eligible for a higher priority placement. Treatment is limited to veterans who served on active duty in Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 and have conditions which the National Academy of Science has found to be associated with herbicide exposure. These conditions include:
- Adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
- Hodgkin’s disease
- Multiple myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy
- Porphyria cutanea tarda, chloracne, prostate cancer
- Respiratory cancers (cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea)
- Soft-tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)
- Some benefits are also available to children of Vietnam veterans who were born with spina bifida and to children with birth defects born to female Vietnam veterans
Automobile Assistance – the VA provides up to $11,000 towards the purchase of a vehicle and will also pay for adaptive equipment and for repair, replacement, or reinstallation required based on the disability. Eligible veterans have:
- A service connected loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands or feet or
- A permanent impairment of vision of both eyes to a certain degree or
- Entitlement to compensation for ankylosis (immobility) of one or both knees or one or both hips
Beneficiary Travel (Including Ambulance) – veterans can be reimbursed up to $0.11 per mile for travel to the nearest VA health care facility. Travel for Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams are also reimbursed $0.11 per mile, more if the veteran is required to return due to a necessary repeat of a test or exam due to no fault of their own. Most travel is subject to a deductible of $3 each way.
Bereavement Counseling - available to any veteran eligible for VA health care as well as family members of Armed Forces personnel who died in service of their country.
Blind Veterans Services – Some blind veterans may be eligible for services available through the Visual Impairment Services (VIST) Coordinator. These services include:
- A total benefits review by a VA Visual Impairment services team
- Adjustment to blindness training
- Home improvement and structural alterations to homes
- Specially adapted houses and adaptations
- Low vision aids and training in their use
- Elector and mechanical aids for the blind, including adaptive computers and computer-assisted devices such as reading machines and electronic travel
- Guide dogs, including the expense of the dog’s medical care and the expense of training the veteran to use the dog
- Talking books, tapes and Braille literature
Combat Veteran Eligibility – veterans are eligible for veteran health insurance for injuries potentially related to combat for two years following discharge from active duty. During that time, the veteran is eligible for enrollment in Priority Group 6 (unless the individual is eligible for a higher priority). One of the following pieces of evidence is required in order to establish status as a combat veteran:
- DD 214 indicating service in designated combat
- Proof or receipt of the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal (does not include Global War on Terrorism Service Medal), or Southwest Asia Campaign Medal
- Proof of receipt of Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Pay (“combat pay”) after November 11, 1998
- Proof of exemption of Federal tax status for Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Pay after November 11, 1998
Dental Care – Based on the dental problem, a veteran may or may not be able to qualify for specific dental. Qualifying problems and their associated benefits include:
- Service connected dental disability or condition, former prisoners of war, and service-connected disabilities rated 100% disabling (or unemployed due to service-connected disabilities) are eligible for any needed dental care
- Veterans participating in a VA vocational rehabilitation program are eligible for dental care needed to complete the program
- Service connected or noncompensable dental condition or disability that existed at the time of discharge or release from active duty of at least 180 days or 90 days during the Golf war are eligible for one-time dental care if the veteran applies within 90 days of separation from active duty
- Service-connected noncompensable dental condition or disability resulting from combat wounds or trauma are eligible for care related to the condition
- Dental conditions clinically determined by the VA to be aggravating a service-connected medical condition are eligible for dental care in order to resolve the problem
- Veterans receiving outpatient care or scheduled for inpatient care and require dental care for a condition complicating a medical condition are eligible for dental care in order to resolve the problem
- Some veterans enrolled in the VA Homeless Program for 60 consecutive days may be eligible for certain outpatient dental services
Domiciliary Care – provided to veterans whose annual income does not exceed the maximum pension rate or to veterans who have been determined to have no adequate means of support.
Emergency Care in Non-VA Facilities – Veterans who need emergency care for a service-connected injury, have seen a VA clinician within the previous 24 months, have no other health coverage, and are not able to get to a VA emergency facility are potentially eligible for coverage at a non-VA emergency care facility.
Extended Care – some services of extended care include:
- VA Nursing Homes
- Community Nursing Homes
- State Veterans Homes
- Domiciliaries
- Hospice
- Respite Care
- Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM)
- Community Residential Care
- Home Health Care
- Adult Day Health Care
- Homemaker/Home Health Aide Services
Eyeglasses – Veterans are eligible for eyeglasses and hearing aids under the conditions of:
- The veteran received increase pension for regular aid and attendance or being permanently housebound or
- The veteran received compensation for service-connected disability or
- The veteran is a former prisoner of war or
- The veteran received a Purple Heart medal
Foreign Medical Program (FMP) – Veterans who live or travel overseas are eligible for FMP which will pay for treatment to service-related injuries and disabilities required by the VA vocational rehabilitation program
Gulf War Illness – all Gulf War veterans are eligible for a free physical exam under the Persian Gulf Registry Program. This includes veterans from Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Iraqi Freedom. If conditions are found that are recognized by the VA to be associated with service in the Gulf War then the veteran is eligible for enrollment in priority group 6
Hearing Aids
Home Health Care – some veterans are eligible for home care if they are homebound with a chronic disease
Home Improvement and Structural Alterations – VA may provide funds for alterations to a home if they are medically necessary to:
- Allow for entrance or exit from residence
- Use sanitation or lavatory facilities
- Allow access to kitchen or bathroom counters or sinks
- Improve paths or driveways in order to facilitate access to the residence
- Improve electrical or plumbing systems due to the installation of dialysis equipment in the home
Homeless Programs – Provides programs that offer:
- Veteran outreach for those living on the streets and shelters
- Clinical assessment and referrals for medical treatment
- Domicilliary care, case management, and rehabilitation
- Employment and income assistance
- Supported permanent housing
Ionizing Radiation Exposure Treatment and Registry Examination – veterans who participated in “radiation risk activity” have free access to examinations. If the VA finds any conditions recognized as being associated with this activity, then the veteran is eligible for priority group 6 (unless eligible for a higher priority) and the VA will pay for care associated with the condition related to exposure
Long Term Care
Maternity Care – maternity care, labor, and delivery can be provided by the VA to women veterans, but there is no care provided to the child
Medical Equipment and Aids – if VA care involves the use of aids and equipment for a veteran’s medical condition, the following may be included in care:
- Prosthetic appliances
- Artificial limbs
- Orthopedic braces or shoes
- Wheelchairs
- Crutches or canes
Military Sexual Trauma Counseling
Non-VA Health Care Services
Nose or Throat Radium Treatment – If a veteran received nasopharyngeal radium treatment (NPR) during active service as a result of being an aviator prior to the end of the Korean conflict or as a result of submarine training before January 1, 1965, then the VA will pay for treatment to conditions that result from the exposure
Nursing Home Care – Some veterans receive nursing home care if:
- The veteran requires nursing home care for a service-connected condition
- The veteran has a service-connected disability rating of 70 percent or more or
- The veteran is rated 60% SC and unemployable
- There is enough room for lower-priority veterans
Project 112/SHAD Participants – Veterans who participated in the program for biological and chemical testing that the U.S. conducted with the military between 1962 and 1973 (known as Project 112/SHAD) are eligible for cost-free examinations from the VA. If the veteran is shown to have conditions related to participation in Project 112/SHAD then the veteran is eligible for enrollment in priority 6 with not cost for the expense of treating the condition
Readjustment Counseling – Veterans are eligible for readjustment counseling after active duty in war or conflict in order to assist readjustment into civilian life.
Women Veterans Services – Women veterans are eligible for all veteran benefits but are also provided with gender-specific health care including:
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Breast cancer
- Gynecological care
- Maternity care
- Limited infertility treatment (not including in-vitro fertilization)

Other Qualifying Veterans

According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, the following groups also qualify for health insurance for veterans:

Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs).
World War I Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit.
Engineer Field Clerks.
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC).
Quartermaster Corps female clerical employees serving with the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.
Civilian employees of Pacific naval air bases who actively participated in defense of Wake Island during World War II.
Reconstruction aides and dietitians in World War I.
Male civilian ferry pilots.
Wake Island defenders from Guam.
Civilian personnel assigned to OSS secret intelligence.
Guam Combat Patrol.
Quartermaster Corps members of the Keswick crew on Corregidor during World War II.
U.S. civilians who participated in the defense of Bataan.
U.S. merchant seamen who served on blockships in support of Operation Mulberry in the World War II invasion of Normandy.
American merchant marines in oceangoing service during World War II.
Civilian Navy IFF radar technicians who served in combat areas of the Pacific during World War II.
U.S. civilians of the American Field Service who served overseas in World War I.
U.S. civilians of the American Field Service who served overseas under U.S. armies and U.S. army groups in World War II.
U.S. civilian employees of American Airlines who served overseas in a contract with the Air Transport Command between Dec. 14, 1941, and Aug. 14, 1945.
Civilian crewmen of U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey vessels who served in areas of immediate military hazard while conducting cooperative operations with and for the U.S. Armed Forces between Dec. 7, 1941, and Aug. 15, 1945.
Members of the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) who served between Dec. 7, 1941, and July 18, 1942.
U.S. civilian flight crew and aviation ground support employees of United Air Lines who served overseas in a contract with Air Transport Command between Dec. 14, 1941, and Aug. 14, 1945.
U.S. civilian flight crew and aviation ground support employees of Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc. (TWA), who served overseas in a contract with the Air Transport Command between Dec. 14, 1941, and Aug. 14, 1945.
U.S. civilian flight crew and aviation ground support employees of Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp. (Consairway Division) who served overseas in a contract with Air Transport Command between Dec. 14, 1941, and Aug. 14, 1945.
U.S. civilian flight crew and aviation ground support employees of Pan American World Airways and its subsidiaries and affiliates, who served overseas in a contract with the Air Transport Command and Naval Air Transport Service between Dec. 14, 1941, and Aug. 14, 1945.
Honorably discharged members of the American Volunteer Guard, Eritrea Service Command, between June 21, 1942, and March 31, 1943.
U.S. civilian flight crew and aviation ground support employees of Northwest Airlines who served overseas under the airline’s contract with Air Transport Command from Dec. 14, 1941, through Aug. 14, 1945.
U.S. civilian female employees of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps who served in the defense of Bataan and Corregidor during the period Jan. 2, 1942, to Feb. 3, 1945.
U.S. flight crew and aviation ground support employees of Northeast Airlines Atlantic Division, who served overseas as a result of Northeast Airlines’ contract with the Air Transport Command during the period Dec. 7, 1941, through Aug. 14, 1945.
U.S. civilian flight crew and aviation ground support employees of Braniff Airways, who served overseas in the North Atlantic or under the jurisdiction of the North Atlantic Wing, Air Transport Command, as a result of a contract with the Air Transport Command during the period Feb. 26, 1942, through Aug. 14, 1945.
Honorably discharged members of the Alaska Territorial Guard during World War II. Some other WWI or WWII Veterans from allied countries are eligible for veteran health insurance. Foreign veterans are eligible under certain circumstances depending on the war and their current status as citizens of the United States. Other circumstances include the treatment of injuries resulting from a particular conflict. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, eligible individuals include:
Veterans of Czechoslovakia and Poland who served during WWI or WWII against an enemy of the United States are eligible for veteran health insurance if:
- They also served in or with the Armed Forces of Great Britain or France during either WWI or WWII and
- Have been citizens of the United States for at least 10 years and
- Who present satisfactory evidence of such military service
Veterans of Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, or South Africa who served in WWI or WWII are eligible for benefits if they incurred disabilities as a result of conflict during these wars
Filipino Veterans are eligible for benefits if:
- They are Filipino Commonwealth Army Veterans
- They are New Filipino Scouts or
- They are veterans recognized as belonging to organized Filipino Guerilla Forces
- They must reside in the United States and are citizens or are lawfully admitted for permanent residence.
- Old Filipino Scouts are eligible for veteran health insurance
Veteran health insurance may be authorized for additional foreign veterans of conflicts post WWII if the veteran is from a country that was allied to the US during WWI or WWII and veteran care is authorized by that country According to the Department of Veteran Affairs additional groups who qualify for veteran health insurance include:
Engineer Field Clerks (WWI).
Civilian Crewmen of United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (USCGS) Vessels Who Performed Their Service in Areas of Immediate Military Hazard While Conducting Cooperative Operations with and for the United States Armed Forces Within a Time Frame of December 7, 1941, to August 15, 1945 on a qualifying USCGS vessel. Qualifying USCGS vessels are the Derickson, Explorer, Gilbert, Hilgard, E. Lester Jones, Lydonia, Patton, Surveyor, Wainwright, Westdahl, Oceanographer, Hydrographer, and Pathfinder.
U.S. Civilian Flight Crew (including pursers) and Aviation Ground Support Employees of Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA), Inc., Who Served Overseas as a Result of TWA's Contract with the Air Transport Command During the Period December 14, 1941, through August 14, 1945.
The approximately 50 Chamorro and Carolinian former native policemen who received military training in the Donnal area of central Saipan and were placed under the command of Lt. Casino of the 6th Provisional Military Police Battalion to accompany United States Marines on active, combat-patrol activity from August 19, 1945, to September 2, 1945.
Three scouts/guides, Miguel Tenorio, Penedicto Taisacan, and Cristino Dela Cruz, who assisted the United States Marines in the offensive operations against the Japanese on the Northern Mariana Islands from June 19, 1944, through September 2, 1945.
The Operational Analysis Group of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, Office of Emergency Management, which served overseas with the U.S. Army Air Corps from December 7, 1941, through August 15, 1945.
Alaska Territorial Guard: Members of the Alaska Territorial Guard during World War II who were honorably discharged from such service as determined by the Secretary of Defense.

Additional Information

For more information about Veteran health insurance visit:www1.va.gov