CHAMPVA has no monthly premium and covers families of 100% P&T disabled veterans. TRICARE covers military retirees. Compare eligibility, costs, and coverage side by side.
Military and veteran families often hear "CHAMPVA" and "TRICARE" used almost interchangeably, but they are two separate programs, run by two different agencies, and most families qualify for one or the other — rarely both. Telling them apart comes down to a single question: does your coverage flow from a service member's active-duty or retired status, or from a veteran's service-connected disability?
TRICARE is the Department of Defense's health program for the military community. CHAMPVA is the Department of Veterans Affairs' program for the families of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled by their service, or who died as a result of it. This guide breaks down who qualifies for each, what they cost in 2026, and how to tell which one is yours.
Here is how the two programs line up on the points that matter most:
| Feature | CHAMPVA | TRICARE |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) | Dept. of Defense (DoD) |
| Who it covers | Family of a veteran rated 100% P&T, or who died from a service-connected cause | Active-duty members, retirees, and their families |
| Monthly premium | None | None for active-duty families; retirees pay an annual enrollment fee |
| Annual deductible | $50 per person ($100 per family) | Varies by plan and group |
| Cost share | 25% of the VA allowable amount | Varies by plan and status |
| Catastrophic cap | $3,000 per family each year | Varies by group and status |
CHAMPVA — the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs — covers the family members of a veteran in any of these situations: the veteran is rated permanently and totally (P&T) disabled from a service-connected condition; the veteran died from a VA-rated service-connected condition; the veteran was rated P&T at the time of death; or the veteran died in the line of duty and the family is not otherwise eligible for TRICARE.
The eligible family members are generally the spouse and dependent children. One point trips people up constantly: CHAMPVA does not cover the veteran. A P&T veteran receives their own care through VA health care, while CHAMPVA covers the family around them. And a person cannot use CHAMPVA if they qualify for TRICARE — the program is specifically for those who fall outside the TRICARE system.
TRICARE is for the active-duty and retired military community: active-duty service members and their families, retirees who completed a career and their families, certain survivors, National Guard and Reserve members through plans like TRICARE Reserve Select, and some former spouses. Eligibility flows from a sponsor's military service and is recorded in DEERS, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System.
It is offered as several plans. TRICARE Prime works like a managed-care HMO with an assigned primary care manager; TRICARE Select works more like a fee-for-service PPO you can use without referrals; and specialized options include TRICARE Reserve Select for the Guard and Reserve and TRICARE For Life for beneficiaries who also have Medicare.
CHAMPVA charges no monthly premium. There is a $50 annual deductible per person ($100 per family). After the deductible, you pay 25% of the VA allowable amount and CHAMPVA pays the other 75%. There is an annual catastrophic cap of $3,000 per family — once you reach it, CHAMPVA covers 100% of covered care for the rest of the calendar year. Inpatient hospital stays have no deductible.
TRICARE costs depend on your status. Active-duty families pay nothing — no enrollment fee, deductible, or copays for network care. Retirees pay an annual enrollment fee that depends on their group: Group A is for families whose sponsor entered service before January 1, 2018, and Group B is for those who entered on or after that date. For 2026, TRICARE Prime retiree enrollment runs roughly $382 per year for an individual or about $765 per family in Group A, and roughly $463 per individual or about $927 per family in Group B. TRICARE Select carries its own separate fees and deductibles.
In almost every case, no. CHAMPVA eligibility specifically requires that you are not eligible for TRICARE, so the two do not stack. Which one applies is set by your circumstances — and it can change over time. If an active-duty member retires, the family stays in the TRICARE system; if a veteran is later rated 100% P&T, the family may move to CHAMPVA. The main exception is a household with two veterans, where each person's separate status can create separate eligibility. But a single person is not drawing on both programs for the same care at the same time. When your underlying eligibility changes, that is when you switch.
For CHAMPVA, you apply through the VA's Office of Community Care using VA Form 10-10d, the Application for CHAMPVA Benefits. You will provide proof of the qualifying veteran's status and your relationship to them; once approved, you receive a CHAMPVA authorization card.
For TRICARE, eligibility begins in DEERS through your sponsor's branch of service. From there you choose and enroll in a plan — Prime or Select — either during the annual open season or after a qualifying life event such as marriage, a birth, or retirement. For 2026 coverage, open season ran from November 10 to December 9, 2025.
These programs treat Medicare differently. For CHAMPVA, once a beneficiary becomes eligible for Medicare (usually at age 65), they generally must enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B to keep CHAMPVA, which then wraps around Medicare and often covers much of what Medicare leaves behind. TRICARE beneficiaries who reach Medicare eligibility typically transition to TRICARE For Life, which coordinates with Medicare as secondary coverage.
The fastest way to tell which program is yours is to ask where the benefit comes from. If it flows from a service member's active-duty or retired status, it is TRICARE. If it flows from a veteran's permanent and total service-connected disability, or a service-connected death, it is CHAMPVA. Both give military and veteran families strong coverage at a fraction of civilian-market cost — the key is knowing which door is yours and applying through the right agency.
Generally no. CHAMPVA eligibility requires that you are not eligible for TRICARE, so the two do not overlap. The main exception is a household with two veterans, where each spouse’s separate status can create separate eligibility. You move from one program to the other only when your underlying eligibility changes.
No. CHAMPVA covers the family members — the spouse and dependent children — of a qualifying veteran. The veteran themselves receives care through VA health care, not CHAMPVA.
There is no monthly premium. You pay a $50 annual deductible per person ($100 per family), then 25% of the VA allowable amount, up to a $3,000 per-family catastrophic cap each calendar year — after which CHAMPVA pays 100% of covered care.
Active-duty service members and their families, retirees and their families, certain survivors, National Guard and Reserve members through specific plans, and some former spouses. Eligibility comes from a sponsor’s military service and is recorded in DEERS.
Once you become eligible for Medicare (usually at 65), you generally must enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B to keep CHAMPVA. CHAMPVA then works alongside Medicare, often covering much of what Medicare does not.