VA Medical qualification question

I have a question for those who have used VA Medical benefits.

I was Army, 1985-88. I have never signed up for VA medical benefits, have always had health insurance through my various employers.

However, sometime in the next 20+ years, I will likely be "retired" - forced out of work due to age, most likely. Since I have always been private sector after I ETS'd, I won't have a pension. And due to several unfortunate circumstances, I am not likely to have much in the way of 401(k)/IRA/other retirement savings, so as a worse case scenario, I envision having basically no income other than Social Security (if that still exists). Unless Obamacare is revoked, SS won't even cover the monthly premium for health insurance, much less for rent, food,.......

So, I have been wondering if I would be eligible to 1) sign up for VA health coverage (TriCare, or whatever it would be); and 2) also get that coverage for my wife. The idea being that VA would be our primary health insurance/coverage after I "retire" rather than having to pay for Obamacare/private insurance.

Also wondering, is VA healthcare only covers Service connected conditions, or does it cover any/everything, just like private insurance does?

Much appreciated

 

You would have to have your DD-214 AND YOUR MEDICAL RECORD.

the VA is not exactly an insurance policy, The VA hospital/clinic will treat your "service connected" medical issues for free.

TRICARE is for active/reserve/retired servicemembers and dependents.
The VA is for Veterans with service connected and documented health issues.

example- you broke your leg while in service and it was documented in your service medical record... The VA will treat that injury and any "associated" health problems from it. Certain issues do come with "compensation".

Non Veterans do not get VA coverage, it is not health insurance, and your wife can not get treatment there (unless she is a veteran with service connected issues)

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR SERVICE MEDICAL RECORD, YOU WILL NOT GET TREATMENT same goes with your DD-214

if you do have your med record and DD-214, you have to submit those things to the va, and then you have to go through a process to be registered before you can get treatment.

this is the simple explanation from a Veteran that has gone through the process several times. I am not any sort of trained expert.

let me find you some internet links

 

I have my DD-214 By "medical record", do you mean my Army records from when I was in, or just "current medical records"?

The one and only time I had any medical interaction during my 3 years was when our Company Commander decided it would be great fun to do a march from the motorpool up to the top of the mountain to Painted Rock at NTC/Ft Irwin, and back to the motor pool. I had a pair of fairly new boots, and they chewed up my Achilles's tendons pretty good, so I went on Sick Call the next morning to get that taken care of. That was '86 or '87, and I have never had copies of that.

 

I can't say I know all the details, but I recently spoke with tricare and can tell you that it's as expensive if not more than regular medical. It also does not cover dental and vision unless you have service connected disability from what I was told. This is just off memory, so it may not be accurate. As far as medical, it covers everything as far as I know, but that's my service related condition and it's also covered for me due to that connection. If you're just getting it without any disability rating, I think you're gonna pay the premium.

 

They will have your military records in their system via electronic form. They did that transfer years ago. You should get that achille's issue submitted for a disability rating. It will help.

 

Call this guy from AMVETS. They help you understand the system

How we serve American Veterans (amvets.org)

John Wingfield, NSO AMVETS-VA Regional Office 321 W. Main St. #318 Louisville, KY 40202-6200 Phone: (502) 566-4426 Fax: (502) 562-6720 Email: john.wingfield2@va.gov

 

NO, they will not have his record. he served in the 1980's and had a paper record (a computer system for military health care didn't even exist), that he would have had to take when he was discharged. Possibly, a copy would be kept in archive in DC

the government ABSOLUTELY DID NOT GO THROUGH SOME ANCIENT ARCHIVE AND HAND SCAN IN ALL THOSE RECORDS into some magic system.

do not make assumptions with the government

 

TRICARE AND THE VA ARE TWO SEPARATE THINGS do not get them confused

 

you need your army medical records from when you served
the VA is for veterans with service connected and documented issues...

call the amvets representative for your area. i put the number in the post above.

those guys deal with helping people like you. they are the experts

you are going to get wrong answers from regular vets that make asumptions...

 

Thanks, I do appreciate that info.

I will definitely keep this name & phone number.

 

@CaptAmerica

 

I served in the Marines 1966-1972. I just went to my local VA Care Center with my DD-214 and got a VA Medical card That I can use at any VA Care Center or VA. hospital for any health reason. Plus, Prescription drug coverage I t took about 3-weeks to get the card

 

You served during the Vietnam era, different rules apply to you...

 

Sorry, did not want to give miss information!!! I thought a Veteran was a Veteran!

 

It's not that simple with the VA.
The bureaucracy is no joke.

Every veteran rates different benefits based on a matrix of bla, bla, bla...

A vet with no deployments and no documented service related injures rates different benefits than a vet with said issues...

 

Call him ASAP.

It will take a long time to hunt down your records, if they exist.

Also, if you do rate anything, you need to submit an "intent to file" ASAP, because it will help start the process for "compensation" if you do rate any.

 

I truly appreciate your input.

I used to think that "a Veteran is a Veteran", until about 15 years ago. I learned it isn't quite that simple. To the civilian/non-Veteran world, it is generally that simple. But to the government, and other entities that are geared towards Veterans/Military.......... it can be a very tricky concept.

* I served during a short period of pure peace time. 1985-88. I just missed the Grenada situation, and I was out and in college when the Kuwait situation started.
* Every job I have applied for since 2010 (when I got laid off the first time in my career), I get 0 Veterans preference points because I am not a Vietnam/Iraq/Afghanistan era Veteran
* I get 0 Veterans points because I have no Service connected disabilities
* I was not even allowed to join the American Legion because I was not a Vietnam/Iraq/Afghanistan era Veteran - until Trump opened up membership to all Veterans.
* I could not join USAA for a long time because I was not Retired, an Officer, or even an NCO. I was only able to join after they opened up their membership to any/all Active Duty/Veterans of any rank/status.

 

Where is the benefit of joining the American Legion?
Where is the benefit of being a member of USAA?
If you were injured in the Army find your medical records along with your DD form 214 and file a claim with the VA. Find a VDO. Otherwise there is not much else that you can do.
If you are approaching retirement age and haven't invested much in your 401K you are not alone. If you have some working years left you can try to catch up on retirement investing. Youtube "Holy Schmidt" is a good channel to get started on.

 

I actually didn't suffer any injuries while I was on active duty, which is why I have never been to, or needed to go to a VA medical center.
Knowing that healthcare premiums are absolutely sky high today if you have to pay 100% out of pocket (rather than get insurance through an employer, where the employer pays a good portion of the monthly premiums for you), once I am retired, I am just thinking worst case scenario - that the monthly premiums for myself an dmy wife would easily exceed any Social Security income I might have - if SS even still exists in another 20+ years), and so was wondering if whatever VA healthcare I might qualify for would be a lower cost option.
I would have had a fairly good 401(k) built up at this point, but when I got laid off in 2010, I was out of work for 18 months, and the amount I received form unemployment didn't come close to covering my mortgage and other bills, so I had to withdraw from my 401(k). Even after I found another job, I got laid off from that one a couple years later, and was again unemployed for another extended period, during which I went through the rest of my 401(k), and now have only been building it back up for the last 6 years.

 

I retired mid 2016, and things have changed a few times since then.

things have changed a ton since you served, but one thing has remained constant for all of the time from before your service until present day.

if you have 0 service connected disabilities, you will receive zero VA MEDICAL benefits.

there are plenty of other benefits that you do qualify for, and there are plenty of local resources to help figure them out. Local resources are best, as city, county, and state laws differ as to what is out there for Veterans.

now, that doesn’t mean that if I wasn’t in your shoes I wouldn’t have my medical records pulled and reviewed. Our memories can be our own worst enemies, so there may be something that the VA things is worthy of compensation at some level or another. But it takes a ton of time, and the sooner you start the process, the sooner you can start the waiting game.