The VA offers health care assistance to qualified veterans. VA health care pays or helps pay for several medical costs. The specific expenses it pays for, and the amount it pays depends on several factors including your income and disability status.
The standard VA Health Benefits package is comparable to a major medical insurance policy in the private marketplace. You have a copay, coinsurance, and a deductible, and the plan pays most everything else.
VA health care is complicated. There are numerous programs available, all offering different things, and all with different qualifying criteria. A VA attorney from Disability Advantage Group can review your situation and let you know what benefits you are eligible to receive. For a free consultation with a member of our staff, call us at 865-566-0800.
The VA Medical Benefits Package
The standard VA Medical Benefits package helps pay for a few inpatient and outpatient services, plus preventative care, mental health, physical therapy, and prescription drugs. As a veteran, you are eligible to receive medical services at a VA hospital or facility, and depending on your situation, it might be free or deeply discounted.
Health care services available under the VA Medical Benefits package include:
Hospital Diagnostic and Treatment Services
A VA health care plan helps pay for the cost of inpatient care received at a hospital. This care may include surgery, medical procedures, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, and prescription drugs prescribed by a VA physician.
Your plan may even cover the cost of reconstructive or plastic surgery if it is the result of a service-connected injury or illness. If you qualify for VA disability, you can receive inpatient services for free, and if you have a limited income, your care may also be free or discounted. You might have a copay and coinsurance if you are not disabled and do not meet certain income restrictions.
Outpatient Diagnostic and Treatment Services
Your plan also helps cover outpatient care, such as visits to your primary care physician or a specialist (e.g., a dermatologist, endocrinologist, orthopedist, and so forth). It also includes follow-up care after surgeries and other medical procedures, including plastic or reconstructive surgery to treat service-connected scarring or disfigurement.
If you require outpatient treatment for a mental health or substance abuse issue, your VA Medical Benefits plan should help cover the costs of that, as well.
Preventative Care Services
You can receive several preventative care services with the help of your VA health care benefits. Preventative care includes any medical service meant to lower your chances of having health problems in the future. It includes services such as immunizations, physicals, eye and hearing exams, health care assessments and screening tests, and health education.
Women’s Health
If you are a female veteran or family member of a veteran, you can receive women’s health services in a safe, private, comfortable setting. VA offers gynecological services and other gender-specific health benefits for women.
Long-Term Care
You may be eligible for long-term care benefits under certain VA health care programs. VA offers the following types of extended care services:
Community Living Centers
A VA community living center offers assisted living to eligible veterans. Some veterans can stay at a community living center indefinitely, while others qualify temporarily.
Domiciliary Care
Domiciliary care is one step below a community living center. It focuses on rehabilitation followed by a return to independent living in the community.
Home Health Care
If you are homebound or do not live near a VA hospital or facility, your plan may cover some or all the cost of home health care. VA contracts with community-based home health agencies to provide quality health care services to veterans in their homes.
How to Qualify for VA Health Care Services
Eligibility requirements vary among the different VA health care programs. In general, you need to be a veteran who served on active duty, active duty training, or inactive duty training for a minimum of 24 consecutive months.
You also need to have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable or bad conduct. A VA disability lawyer can review your military and medical history and help you determine your eligibility.
Call 865-566-0800 Today for a Free VA Health Care Case Evaluation
A VA lawyer from Disability Advantage Group can help you take advantage of various VA health care benefits. We connect veterans with disability and health care benefits from the VA and are passionate about what we do.
Our attorneys do not receive a fee until you recover benefits. For a free consultation, call us today at 865-566-0800.