Basic
- Any individual who has served in the active military and has been separated from the service (excluding a dishonorable discharge) is eligible for health benefits.
- Current and former members of the Army Reserve and National Guard who were called into duty by a federal order and completed their full period of service are also eligible.
- Reserves and National Guard members with active duty for training purposes do not meet requirements.
Minimum Duty Requirements
- The majority of Veterans who enlisted after September 7, 1980 or entered active duty after October 16, 1981 must have served 24 consecutive months, or the full period for which they were called for active service.
o This may not apply to service members to Veterans who were discharged for disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, for a hardship, or “early out.”
o Or those who served before September 7, 1980.
- There may be other exceptions to this rule, so the VA encourages all service members to apply.
Enhanced Eligibility
- Some veterans may be offered enhanced eligibility status when ingapply:
o Prisoners of War
o Purple Heart Medal Recipients
o Medal of Honor Recipients
o Have a compensable VA awarded service connected disability of 10% or more
o Discharged due to disability, early out, or hardship
o Served in Theatre of Operation 5 years post discharge
o Served in Republic of Vietnam from January 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975
o Served in Persian Gulf from August 2, 1990 to November 11, 1998
o Stationed or resided at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more between January 1, 1957 and December 31, 1987
o Found by VA to be Catastrophically Disabled
o Previous years’ household income is below VA’s National Income or Geographical-Adjusted Thresholds.
Enrollment
- Operates on an annual enrollment system
- Once Veteran’s application is reviewed and verified, they remain in the VA health care system and receive and maintain certain VA health benefits.
- Once the application is successfully processed, the veteran will be assigned into a Priority Group.