Your health care costs 
We're committed to providing free health care for conditions related to military service and for Veterans with catastrophic disabilities and disability ratings of at least 50%, as well as for those who can't afford to pay for care. Learn more about how we'll determine if you'll need to pay for any part of your care. 

Understanding VA health care costs 


Can I get free VA health care as a Veteran? 
You can get free VA health care for any illness or injury that we determine is related to your military service called " service connected ". We also provide certain other services for free. These include readjustment counseling and related mental health services, care for issues related to military sexual trauma MST, and a registry health exam to determine if you're at risk of health problems linked to your military service. Find out how to get mental health care Learn more about services for military sexual trauma Explore health issues related to service history View more services we provide at no cost You may qualify for additional free VA health care depending on your income, disability rating, or other special eligibility factors. Keep reading below to learn more. 

Will I need to pay for any of my care, tests, or medications? 
You may need to pay a fixed amount for some types of care, tests, and medications you receive from a VA health care provider or an approved community health care provider to treat conditions not related to your service. This is called a copay short for " copayment ". Whether or not you'll need to pay copays and how much you'll pay depends on your disability rating, income level, military service record, and which of our 8 priority groups we assign you to when you enroll in VA health care. For example , if you have a service - connected condition that we've rated at 50% or more disabling or that we've determined makes you unable to work called unemployable , or if you've received a Medal of Honor , we'll assign you to

user: Hello, I need information about health care costs.

assistant: Of course. We're committed to providing free health care for conditions related to military service and for Veterans with catastrophic disabilities and disability ratings of at least 50 %, as well as for those who can't afford to pay for care.

user: I see. I'm a bit confused about the costs though. Can you help me understand the health care costs?

assistant: Gladly. Would you like to know if I can get free VA health care as a Veteran?

user: Yes, please.

assistant: You can get free VA health care for any illness or injury that we determine is related to your military service called "service connected".

user: Interesting. And which documents do I need to provide?

assistant: You'll need to provide your gross household income for the previous year. So if you re applying for health care in 2019, you'll need to provide your gross household income for 2018.

assistant: Does your wife, partner, or dependent child also contribute income to the household?

user: No. I'm the only one.

user: Does this mean I have to carry the costs of my medications?

assistant: Whether or not you'll need to pay copays and how much you'll pay depends on your disability rating, income level, military service record, and which of our 8 priority groups we assign you to when you enroll in VA health care.