The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) provides health insurance coverage for eligible dependents and survivors of certain veterans. CHAMPVA covers spouses, surviving spouses, and children of veterans who are rated permanently and totally disabled from service-connected conditions, veterans who died from service-connected conditions, or veterans who were permanently and totally disabled at the time of death. CHAMPVA is a cost-sharing program where VA pays a percentage of covered health care costs and the beneficiary pays the remainder. The program covers most medically necessary health care services including doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription medications, mental health care, and preventive services. There is an annual deductible and cost-sharing requirements. Beneficiaries who are eligible for TRICARE are generally not eligible for CHAMPVA because TRICARE takes priority. If you have other health insurance in addition to CHAMPVA, the other insurance is the primary payer and CHAMPVA covers remaining costs. This can result in very low out-of-pocket expenses. To apply for CHAMPVA, submit the application form along with documentation of the veteran disability status and your relationship to the veteran. Processing can take several weeks. Once enrolled, you can receive care from any CHAMPVA-authorized provider.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).