Survivors
Health Care (CHAMPVA)
Lifetime health coverage that shares the cost of care for the spouse or children of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled - or who died from a service-connected condition. It pays alongside Medicare, fills prescriptions by mail for free, and opens the door to low-cost dental.
Who this is for
If you are the spouse or child of a veteran who is rated permanently and totally disabled - or who has died from a service-connected condition - CHAMPVA can cover your health care for the rest of your life. Most families have never heard of it, or assume it is only for the veteran. It is not. This is coverage for you, and once you are enrolled it can pay right alongside Medicare, fill your maintenance prescriptions by mail for free, and even open the door to low-cost dental insurance.
In plain language
What Health Care (CHAMPVA) covers
- Cost-sharing coverage for doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, and most medical services
- For spouses and children who are not eligible for TRICARE
- Works as a second payer alongside Medicare once you are Medicare-eligible
- Free maintenance prescriptions by mail, and access to low-cost VADIP dental insurance
What Is CHAMPVA?Official video - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
5 things most veterans aren't aware of
These apply to nearly every VA claim - and they change how much you get and when.
Your filing date sets your back pay
Benefits are generally paid back to the day you file - not the day you are approved. Filing an intent to file today can protect months, even years, of retroactive pay.
One condition can trigger others (secondary claims)
A service-connected condition that causes another - like sleep apnea from PTSD, or a bad knee from a bad hip - can be rated on its own. Each secondary condition adds to your rating.
A medical nexus is what wins the claim
The VA needs a documented link between your condition and your service. A clear nexus opinion is often the difference between an approval and a denial.
Accredited help is free to file an initial claim
By law, an accredited agent cannot charge a fee to prepare and file your original claim. If someone asks for money up front to file, that is a red flag.
A denial is not the end of the road
You have three appeal lanes - Higher-Level Review, a Supplemental Claim with new evidence, and the Board of Veterans Appeals. Many denials are overturned on review.
$50 / $100
Annual deductible per person, capped per family
75% / 25%
CHAMPVA pays 75% of the allowable amount
$3,000
Yearly catastrophic cap - then CHAMPVA pays 100%
The full picture
Everything you need to know
Nothing hidden behind a click, and nothing you have to go looking for on another website. Here is the whole story in plain language - the facts and the figures first - so you can decide what fits your situation.
Key facts & current figures
- Lifetime cost-sharing health coverage for the spouse or children of a veteran rated permanently and totally (P&T) disabled from a service-connected condition - or who died from a service-connected condition, or died on active duty.
- Only for dependents who are NOT eligible for TRICARE.
- Annual deductible is just $50 per person, capped at $100 per family - and it is waived for inpatient care, hospice, most preventive care, and Meds by Mail.
- After the deductible, CHAMPVA pays 75% of the allowable amount and you pay 25% - protected by a $3,000 yearly catastrophic cap per family, after which CHAMPVA pays 100%.
- Once you are eligible for Medicare (at any age), you generally must keep both Medicare Part A and Part B to stay on CHAMPVA - Medicare pays first and CHAMPVA pays second.
- Free maintenance prescriptions through Meds by Mail (no copay, no deductible) if you have no other drug coverage, plus access to low-cost dental insurance through VADIP (Delta Dental / MetLife).
- Apply with VA Form 10-10d.
General figures, current as of December 2025 and reviewed each year. Your exact amount depends on your situation - always confirm on va.gov.
Who CHAMPVA is for
- CHAMPVA covers the spouse or child of a veteran who is rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, or who died from a service-connected condition, or who died on active duty in the line of duty.
- The dependent must NOT be eligible for TRICARE. A remarried surviving spouse loses eligibility, but it can be reinstated if that later marriage ends by death or divorce.
- CHAMPVA is coverage for the family member, not the veteran - a P&T veteran uses VA health care, while the spouse and children use CHAMPVA.
What it costs - the real numbers
- The annual outpatient deductible is $50 per person, up to $100 per family each calendar year. It is waived for inpatient stays, hospice, most preventive services, and any prescriptions filled through Meds by Mail.
- After the deductible, CHAMPVA pays 75% of the CHAMPVA-allowable amount and you are responsible for the remaining 25%.
- Your total out-of-pocket is capped at a $3,000 catastrophic limit per family, per calendar year (this includes the deductible and your cost-shares). Once you hit it, CHAMPVA pays 100% of allowable charges for the rest of the year.
How CHAMPVA works with Medicare
- If you become eligible for Medicare - at 65, or earlier through disability - you generally must carry both Part A and Part B to keep CHAMPVA. A Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan satisfies this too.
- Medicare pays first, CHAMPVA pays second. For services both cover, CHAMPVA can pick up much of what Medicare leaves behind, such as the Medicare deductible and coinsurance - which is why the pair works so well together.
- One exception: if you are 65 or older and are not entitled to premium-free Part A, you are not required to buy Part B to keep CHAMPVA - just send the Social Security "Notice of Disallowance."
- CHAMPVA does not pay your Medicare Part B premium, and CHAMPVA drug coverage counts as creditable coverage, so you will not owe a Medicare Part D late penalty.
Free prescriptions by mail
- The Meds by Mail program fills your non-urgent maintenance medications with no copay, no deductible, and no cost - as long as you have no other prescription coverage, including Medicare Part D.
- You simply mail or fax your prescription; a 90-day supply arrives at your door. Urgent or short-term medications go through the OptumRx retail network instead.
Dental coverage for your family
- CHAMPVA itself does not include routine dental, but CHAMPVA beneficiaries can buy low-cost dental insurance through VADIP - the VA Dental Insurance Program.
- Coverage is offered by Delta Dental and MetLife, with plans covering exams, cleanings, fillings, crowns, dentures, and emergency care. You enroll directly with the carrier - Delta Dental at 855-460-3302 - not through a VA form.
- There is no open-season window - you can enroll any time - and VADIP premiums are usually far lower than a plan bought on the open market.
How to apply, and getting your card
- File VA Form 10-10d with proof of eligibility - your marriage certificate or the child's birth certificate, and a copy of your Medicare card if you have one.
- Once approved you receive a CHAMPVA card, and can then set up Meds by Mail and, if you want it, VADIP dental. Most claims are filed automatically by providers, and CHAMPVA processes them as the second payer after Medicare.
What it really costs you
How the CHAMPVA math actually works
People hear “25 percent” and worry about a bad year wiping them out. It cannot. Here are two real years side by side - a quiet one and an expensive one - so you can see exactly where your dollars stop.
A typical year
$6,000 allowableYou pay
$1,575
CHAMPVA pays
$4,425
Well under the cap. You pay the deductible plus a quarter of the allowable amount; CHAMPVA covers the rest.
A heavy year (surgery, hospital stay)
$30,000 allowableYou pay
$3,000
CHAMPVA pays
$27,000
This is the protection that matters. No matter how large the bills get, your out-of-pocket for covered care stops at $3,000 for the whole family - then CHAMPVA pays 100%.
Once you have Medicare, who pays first?
This is where CHAMPVA quietly shines. Unlike a veteran’s own VA care, CHAMPVA is a true second payer to Medicare - so for care both cover, most of what Medicare leaves behind gets picked up.
Pays first
Medicare
Covers its share of the doctor visit, procedure, or hospital stay.
Pays second
CHAMPVA
Can pick up much of the Medicare deductible and the 20% coinsurance for CHAMPVA-covered services.
The one rule to protect: once you are Medicare-eligible you must keep both Part A and Part B to stay on CHAMPVA. CHAMPVA will not pay your Part B premium - but dropping Part B to save that premium can cost you CHAMPVA altogether.
Two extras families leave on the table
Meds by Mail - free
If you have no other drug coverage (including no Medicare Part D), your maintenance prescriptions are filled and mailed to you with no copay, no deductible, and no cost. A 90-day supply arrives at your door. Urgent, short-term medicines go through the OptumRx retail network instead.
Low-cost dental (VADIP)
CHAMPVA does not include routine dental, but CHAMPVA beneficiaries can buy discounted dental insurance through the VA Dental Insurance Program from Delta Dental or MetLife. Plans cover cleanings, fillings, crowns, and dentures. Enroll any time, directly with the carrier.
Delta Dental: 855-460-3302
How to apply, step by step
- 1
FIG. 01 - GATHER YOUR PROOF
Gather your proof
Your marriage certificate or the child's birth certificate, and a copy of your Medicare card (front and back) if you have one.
- 2
FIG. 02 - COMPLETE THE FORM
Complete VA Form 10-10d
The Application for CHAMPVA Benefits. If you also want the free pharmacy, you can include the Other Health Insurance form at the same time.
- 3
FIG. 03 - SEND THE PACKET
Send it to the Denver office
Mail or fax the packet to the VHA Office of Community Care in Denver, or apply online. Processing typically takes a few weeks.
- 4
FIG. 04 - USE YOUR CARD
Use your card - and add the extras
Once your CHAMPVA card arrives, set up Meds by Mail for free maintenance prescriptions and, if you want dental, enroll in a VADIP plan.
Not sure your family qualifies? Tell me your situation and I’ll check eligibility before you file a single form.
Know which card is which
The cards in your wallet, and what each one actually does
Most households end up carrying three or four of these, and they look enough alike that the wrong one gets slid across the counter. That is not a small mistake. Hand a clinic your Veteran Health ID card instead of your CHAMPVA card and the claim will not pay, because the first card is not insurance at all. Here is every card, drawn the way it really looks, with every field on it named - and then plainly which one to present, and when.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veteran Health Identification Card
Name
Your name here
SERVICE CONNECTED
Issued by the Veterans Health Administration. Free.
What is printed on it
- Photo
- A current color headshot of you
- Name
- Your full name
- Branch emblem
- The emblem of your last branch of service
- Eligibility line
- SERVICE CONNECTED, PURPLE HEART or FORMER POW - only if it applies to you
- Member ID
- Your DoD-assigned identifier (the EDIPI) - this is how the VA pulls your record
- Plan ID
- The health plan number assigned to the VA itself, not to you
- Expiration date
- You may reapply within one year of that date
- Braille
- The letters VA, raised, for low-vision veterans
There is no Social Security number and no date of birth on this card, and the magnetic stripe and barcode carry no personal information at all. That is by design.
What it does
- Checks you in for an appointment at any VA medical center
- With the eligibility line showing, gets you through the gate to the commissary, the exchange and MWR facilities
- Works as proof of service for a civilian veteran discount
What it will never do
- It is not an insurance card. It will not pay for a single dollar of care outside the VA
- A surviving spouse or a dependent child will never have one - this card is for the veteran only
How you get it: You must be enrolled in VA health care first. Request it at va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards or walk into your VA medical center with a government photo ID.
Lost or expired: va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards, or ask at your VA medical center.
CHAMPVA
CHAMPVA identification card
Name
Your name here
Member No. 000-00-0000
Issued by the VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care - the office that used to be called the Office of Community Care.
What is printed on it
- Name
- The covered spouse, surviving spouse or child - one card per person
- Member Number
- This is that person’s Social Security number, printed right on the front of the card
- Effective date
- The date the coverage started
Because the member number is a Social Security number, treat this card the way you treat your Social Security card. Do not photograph it, do not text it, and do not leave it loose in a wallet you set down.
What it does
- Proves your coverage to a civilian doctor, hospital, lab or pharmacy - they bill it directly
- Unlocks Meds by Mail for free maintenance prescriptions once your Other Health Insurance form is on file
- Is the card that makes you eligible to buy into a VADIP dental plan
What it will never do
- It will not get you treated inside a VA hospital as a patient - CHAMPVA buys you civilian care
- It is not Medicare, and in most cases it pays second, behind whatever other health insurance you carry
How you get it: It comes in the mail with your welcome letter after your VA Form 10-10d is approved. Allow up to six weeks after the approval letter.
Lost card, or your other insurance changed: call 800-733-8387.
Medicare Health Insurance
Medicare card
Name
Your name here
1EG4-TE5-MK73
Issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Red, white and blue.
What is printed on it
- Name
- Your name as Social Security has it
- Medicare Number
- Eleven characters of letters and numbers, shown like 1EG4-TE5-MK73. The dashes are only there to help you read it - never type them on a form
- HOSPITAL (PART A)
- The date your hospital coverage starts
- MEDICAL (PART B)
- The date your doctor coverage starts, or blank if you declined Part B
That number has not been your Social Security number since 2019. It also never uses the letters S, L, O, I, B or Z - so anything that looks like the letter O is really a zero, and anything that looks like a 1 next to a letter is really the number one.
What it does
- This is the card a civilian provider bills first, before CHAMPVA sees the claim
- Keeping Part B is what keeps CHAMPVA and civilian coverage working together cleanly
What it will never do
- It does nothing inside the VA. The VA does not bill Medicare for your VA care
- It is not proof of veteran or survivor status for any VA program
How you get it: It arrives about three months before your 65th birthday if you already draw Social Security, or after you enroll yourself.
Lost card or forgotten number: sign in at Medicare.gov, read it off a Medicare Summary Notice, or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veteran ID Card
Name
Your name here
Digital card - lives in your VA.gov account
Issued by the VA. Digital only since September 2022 - there is no plastic version anymore.
What is printed on it
- Photo
- A headshot you upload yourself
- Name
- Your full name
- Branch
- Your branch of service
- Card number
- An identifier for the card itself - it is not tied to any benefit
This is the card people most often confuse with the VHIC, and the difference matters. It proves you served. That is the whole job.
What it does
- Proves your service for a restaurant, hotel or store discount so you are not carrying your DD214 around
- Any honorably or generally discharged veteran can get one, enrolled in VA health care or not
What it will never do
- It will not prove eligibility for any federal benefit
- It will not get you onto a base, into a commissary or into an exchange
- It is not accepted as airport identification, and it will not check you in at a VA hospital
How you get it: Apply at va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards/vic. It lands in your VA.gov account, not your mailbox.
If you already hold a VHIC you do not need this card at all - the VHIC does the same job for discounts.
Which card do I hand over?
Four counters, four answers. Read the left column, hand over what is in the middle.
Checking in for an appointment at a VA medical center
Your VHIC
Nothing else checks you in. If yours has expired, they can still see you - but reapply, because the front desk will ask every visit.
Sitting in a civilian doctor or dentist office on CHAMPVA
Your CHAMPVA card AND your Medicare card
The office needs both, because Medicare pays first and CHAMPVA pays behind it. Handing over only one is the most common reason a CHAMPVA claim stalls.
At the gate of a base, or the commissary or exchange register
Your VHIC with the eligibility line, or a DoD ID card
The card has to actually show SERVICE CONNECTED, PURPLE HEART or FORMER POW. The first time through, stop at the Visitor Control Center to get registered.
Asking for a veteran discount at a store or restaurant
Whichever you already carry
A VHIC, a Veteran ID Card, a DoD ID, or a state driver license with the veteran designation all work. Do not hand over your DD214.
When the office says they do not take it
Read these four lines to the billing clerk
Most front desks have simply never keyed a CHAMPVA claim before, so they say no. They are not refusing you - they cannot find the payer. Hand them this and the conversation usually ends there.
- Verify my eligibility
- Payer ID VAHAC, or call 888-820-1756
- Send the medical claim to
- Payer ID 84146
- Send the dental claim to
- Payer ID 84147
- Get preauthorization
- 833-930-0816
A provider does not have to be in any network to bill CHAMPVA. They only have to be licensed and willing to send the claim.
Three traps worth naming
Nobody will call you for these numbers
Medicare will never phone and ask you to read your Medicare number aloud, and neither will the VA. If someone does, hang up.
Keep your other insurance on file
CHAMPVA pays second in most cases. If the office of Integrated Veteran Care does not have your current other-insurance information, claims get denied or held - not because you lost coverage, but because the file is stale. Update it whenever a plan changes.
Your 1095-B is not mailed anymore
As of 2026 CHAMPVA no longer mails IRS Form 1095-B automatically. If your state return or your records need proof of minimum essential coverage, you have to request it.
Not sure which card you are holding, or which one you are owed? Tell me who is in the household and what arrived in the mail, and I will tell you exactly which cards should be in that wallet.
Your family’s complete benefit picture
VA Form 10-10d
the single application that starts lifetime coverage for a spouse or child - and the card that arrives after it is the only proof a civilian front desk will accept.
Two ways to move forward — both free
Not sure if this applies to you?
Ask our free assistant a few plain questions and get an honest read on what you and your family may qualify for, at no cost. It takes just a few minutes, and there is no sign-up and no obligation of any kind. You will get a clear, plain-language picture of where you stand and what might be worth filing. And if you would rather talk to a real person, an accredited agent is only a message away.
Have a question? Get free information
Ask a question, learn what you may be owed, or find out where you stand. Confidential, free, and no obligation to go any further.
Ready to hire us? Register
Decided you want us to work your claim? Registering is free — we match you with an accredited advocate and get you started. We cannot begin until you sign VA Form 21-22a, and fees, if any, are always disclosed up front.
Read the card
Your CHAMPVA member number is a Social Security number
The CHAMPVA ID card prints the beneficiary’s Social Security number on the front as the Member Number. Treat that card the way you would treat a passport - photocopy it for your own records, hand it over at the front desk, and never leave it loose in a wallet.
It arrives with your welcome letter, and that can take up to 6 weeks after your VA Form 10-10d is approved. Coverage is retroactive to your effective date, so keep every receipt you pay in the meantime.
Replacements are one phone call
Call 800-733-8387 to request a new card or to update other health insurance on file. There is no charge and no form to fill out.
It does nothing inside a VA hospital
CHAMPVA pays civilian providers. A VA medical center is not a CHAMPVA provider, so the card will not check you in there.
A clear path forward
Your step-by-step action plan
No rush and no pressure - but a little order helps. Applying is always free.
FIG. 01 - Gather your paperwork
Apply
Send VA Form 10-10d
Attach the veteran’s P&T rating decision or death certificate, your marriage or birth certificate, and copies of any Medicare cards you hold.
FIG. 02 - Fill out the form
Weeks 1 to 6
Wait for the card and the welcome letter
Coverage is retroactive to your effective date. Keep receipts for anything you pay out of pocket while the card is in the mail.
FIG. 03 - File the claim
Once enrolled
Turn on Meds by Mail
If you have no other drug coverage, maintenance prescriptions come by mail with no copay and no deductible. The annual deductible is waived for it entirely.
FIG. 04 - After you file
At the front desk
Hand the office the payer numbers
Eligibility: VAHAC or 888-820-1756. Medical claims: 84146. Dental claims: 84147. Preauthorization: 833-930-0816. Reading those four lines out loud ends most "we do not take that" conversations.
Who to call & where to go
These are free, official VA lines. Have your Social Security number handy when you call.
CHAMPVA (Family Health)
Health coverage for eligible spouses and dependents.
MyVA411 - Main VA Line
Not sure who to call? Start here. One number for anything VA - they route you to the right office.
Rather have us handle it?
No phone tag, no hold music. Call our office and a real, VA-accredited person walks you through it - start to finish.
702-992-4883Download the forms
Not sure where to start?
Apply with VA Form 10-10d and supporting documents (marriage or birth records, and a copy of any Medicare card). Mail it to the VHA Office of Community Care in Denver, or apply online. We can help you confirm eligibility before you file.
More support for survivors & family
These often go hand in hand - tap any card to learn more.
Free information — get a free benefit review
Tell us how to reach you and an accredited team member will help you understand this benefit and claim everything you have earned. No cost, no obligation.
Ready to hire us? Register with us
For veterans who’ve decided they want us on their claim — registering is free too, and it does not make you our client or obligate you to anything. Here is exactly how it works:
- You register. This simply starts the conversation — you are not our client yet, and you owe us nothing.
- You sign and return VA Form 21-22a. It appoints us as your accredited representative and gives us access to your VA file.
- Once we have your signed 21-22a and access to your case, we verify everything is in order.
It involves the registration form and signing VA Form 21-22a — by law we can’t accept your claim, work on it, or contact the VA for you until that power of attorney is signed. You decide whether to move forward.
Official VA links
Answers, in plain language
Common questions about Health Care (CHAMPVA)
What is Health Care (CHAMPVA)?
Lifetime health coverage that shares the cost of care for the spouse or children of a veteran who is permanently and totally disabled - or who died from a service-connected condition. It pays alongside Medicare, fills prescriptions by mail for free, and opens the door to low-cost dental.
Who qualifies for Health Care (CHAMPVA)?
CHAMPVA covers the spouse or child of a veteran who is rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, or who died from a service-connected condition, or who died on active duty in the line of duty. The dependent must NOT be eligible for TRICARE. A remarried surviving spouse loses eligibility, but it can be reinstated if that later marriage ends by death or divorce. CHAMPVA is coverage for the family member, not the veteran - a P&T veteran uses VA health care, while the spouse and children use CHAMPVA.
How much does Health Care (CHAMPVA) pay?
The annual outpatient deductible is $50 per person, up to $100 per family each calendar year. It is waived for inpatient stays, hospice, most preventive services, and any prescriptions filled through Meds by Mail. After the deductible, CHAMPVA pays 75% of the CHAMPVA-allowable amount and you are responsible for the remaining 25%. Your total out-of-pocket is capped at a $3,000 catastrophic limit per family, per calendar year (this includes the deductible and your cost-shares). Once you hit it, CHAMPVA pays 100% of allowable charges for the rest of the year.
How do I apply for Health Care (CHAMPVA)?
Apply with VA Form 10-10d and supporting documents (marriage or birth records, and a copy of any Medicare card). Mail it to the VHA Office of Community Care in Denver, or apply online. We can help you confirm eligibility before you file.
What does it cost to get help with Health Care (CHAMPVA), and are you VA-accredited?
Two things trip families up. First, CHAMPVA is easy to confuse with the veteran's own VA health care - remember it is coverage for the spouse and children. Second, once you turn 65 (or become Medicare-eligible early), you have to keep Medicare Part B to stay on CHAMPVA - dropping Part B to save on the premium can cost you your CHAMPVA entirely. If you are approaching Medicare age, talk it through before you make any changes. It is free to talk with us, and no one may charge you to file a first-time VA claim. The Aging Veteran is led by Albert L. Thombs Jr., a VA-accredited claims agent (accreditation #45147) and disabled veteran; any appeal work is handled on a no-fee-unless-you-win basis.
