Am I eligible for health care through CHAMPVA? 

You may only be eligible for health care through CHAMPVA if you don’t qualify for TRICARE and at least one of these descriptions is true for you.

At least one of these must be true:

• You’re the spouse or child of a Veteran who’s been rated permanently and totally disabled for a service-connected disability by a VA regional office, or
• You’re the surviving spouse or child of a Veteran who died from a VA-rated service-connected disability, or
• You’re the surviving spouse or child of a Veteran who was at the time of death rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability, or
• You’re the surviving spouse or child of a service member who died in the line of duty, not due to misconduct (in most of these cases, family members qualify for TRICARE, not CHAMPVA).

A service-connected disability is a disability that we’ve concluded was caused—or made worse—by the Veteran’s active-duty service. A permanent disability is one that’s not expected to improve.

CHAMPVA and Medicare

Your Medicare status has an impact on your eligibilty for CHAMPVA benefits. Beneficiaries must enroll in Medicare 90 days prior to their 65th birthday. After you enroll in Medicare, you will receive a Medicare card indicating whether you have both Medicare Part A and Part B coverage. To continue your CHAMPVA eligibility, you must enroll in, and remain enrolled in, Medicare Part B. 

Information obtained from www.va.gov