CHAMPVA: Health Coverage for a Disabled Veteran's Family

Who qualifies

You may qualify for CHAMPVA if you are the spouse or child of a veteran and at least one of these is true, and you are not eligible for TRICARE (VA, 2026):

• The veteran is rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition.
• The veteran died from a service-connected condition.
• The veteran was rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition at the time of death.
• The veteran died in the line of duty, and the death was not due to misconduct. This group is usually covered by TRICARE instead, which would make them ineligible for CHAMPVA.

How children and spouses keep eligibility

• Children: covered up to age 18, or up to age 23 if enrolled full-time in an approved school. A child found permanently incapable of self-support before age 18 can stay eligible (VA, 2026).
• A surviving spouse who remarries: loses CHAMPVA if the remarriage happens before age 55. Remarrying at age 55 or older does not end CHAMPVA (VA, 2026).

What it costs in 2026

CHAMPVA shares the cost of covered care with you. After a yearly deductible, CHAMPVA pays 75% of the allowable amount and you pay the remaining 25%, until your family hits the annual catastrophic cap (VA, 2026; Congressional Research Service, RS22483).

What it covers

CHAMPVA covers most medically necessary care, similar in scope to a civilian health plan (VA, 2026):

• Inpatient and outpatient medical services
• Doctor visits, lab work, and imaging
• Mental health care
• Prescription medications
• Durable medical equipment, skilled nursing, and hospice in many cases
• Some preventive and immunization services

It does not work like a card you swipe at any provider. There is no fixed network, so a provider has to agree to accept CHAMPVA, and CHAMPVA does not cover everything (for example, most dental and routine eye care fall outside it). Confirm coverage for a specific service on the official VA CHAMPVA pages before you rely on it.

Meds-by-Mail

CHAMPVA offers a Meds-by-Mail program that fills maintenance prescriptions at no cost share, but only for members who have no other prescription drug coverage. A member with other drug coverage, including Medicare Part D, uses the retail pharmacy benefit instead, at the 25% cost share until the catastrophic cap (VA, 2026).

How CHAMPVA works with other insurance

CHAMPVA is almost always the secondary payer. If your family member has other health insurance, that plan pays first and CHAMPVA can pick up part of what is left, within CHAMPVA's allowable amounts (VA, 2026).

• CHAMPVA pays after employer or marketplace insurance.
• CHAMPVA pays after Medicare (see the next section).
• CHAMPVA is generally primary to Medicaid, meaning CHAMPVA pays before Medicaid.

Because it pays second, CHAMPVA can be useful as a supplement that absorbs cost shares another plan leaves behind, but it is thinner than most employer plans and not every provider accepts it. Treat it as one piece of a family's coverage to weigh, not an automatic one-for-one replacement.

Medicare and age 65

Medicare changes how CHAMPVA works once a member is eligible. For a member who is 65 or older, CHAMPVA requires that they be enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B to keep CHAMPVA eligibility, and CHAMPVA then pays after Medicare (VA, 2026; Congressional Research Service, RS22483).

How to apply

You apply with the Application for CHAMPVA Benefits, VA Form 10-10d. You can complete it online through VA.gov, or print and mail or fax it to the CHAMPVA Eligibility Center (VA, 2026).

Documents usually needed

• The page of the VA rating decision showing the veteran's permanent and total service-connected rating, or the relevant death documentation.
• Proof of relationship, such as a marriage certificate for a spouse, or a birth certificate or adoption papers for a child.
• School enrollment certification for a child aged 18 to 23.
• Medicare card and proof of any other health insurance, if applicable.

Eligibility is determined by VA. An accredited representative can help a family gather and submit the paperwork. See how to find one.

Frequently asked questions