Veterans with Disabilities
Health Care
Although many services are available to veterans, health care is often a top priority for veterans with disabilities. This section provides information about the different health care options available to veterans.
Active military, retirees, and others eligible for health care coverage
TRICARE is the Department of Defense's health care program for members of the uniformed services, their families and survivors. TRICARE also offers health care programs for retired service members, including TRICARE Pharmacy, TRICARE Dental, and TRICARE for Life. For more information about TRICARE's benefits, see TRICARE Eligibility and Wounded, Ill and Injured Toolkit.
TRICARE's services include:
- Line of Duty Care: While on active duty, National Guard and Reserve members are covered for injury, illness or disease incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. This includes injuries sustained when traveling directly to or from the place of duty.
- Mental Health and Behavior: Covers mental health/behavioral health care that is medically or psychologically necessary for treatment of a behavioral health disorder.
- Special Needs: Several options are available for service members or a family member with a disability or serious illness. Options may include behavioral/mental health care, durable medical equipment, home health care, hospice care, skilled nursing facility care, and case management.
- Autism Services Demonstration: Provides Educational Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders services that are not covered under basic TRICARE coverage, and only partially covered through the Extended Care Health Option.
- TRICARE For Life: Medicare-wraparound coverage available to all Medicare-eligible TRICARE beneficiaries, regardless of age, provided they have Medicare Parts A and B.
- Continued Health Care Benefit Program: Premium-based health care program that offers temporary transitional health coverage (18-36 months) after TRICARE eligibility ends.
Veterans are also eligible for coverage through the US Department of Veterans Administration (VA)
Health care coverage for the VA is available to veterans. The VA encourages veterans to retain any health care coverage they may already have, such as private health insurance or with federally funded coverage through the Department of Defense (TRICARE), Medicare, or Medicaid, and to use these sources of coverage as a supplement to their VA benefits.
To learn more about VA health care benefits, read Understanding Veteran Health Care of the Military.com Web site. Information is also found on the VA Web site, Health Care - Veterans Health Administration, or call the VA for health care eligibility information at 1-877-222-8387. You can apply for some VA benefits online, such as applying for the Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance.
Other resources for finding health care coverage
Deployment Health Clinical Center: Provides information to help in the transition when moving from the Department of Defense to the VA health care system.
My HealtheVet: Program of the VA that provides access to veteran health benefits and services.
Polytrauma System of Care: Provides services to veterans and returning service members with injuries to more than one physical region or organ system, one of which may be life threatening, and which results in physical, cognitive, psychological, or psychosocial impairments and functional disability.
VA Healthcare System of Ohio: Connects veterans to VA medical centers, independent outpatient clinics, and community outpatient clinics in Ohio.
Disability Benefits For Wounded Warriors: Offers expedited processing of disability claims for veterans and military personnel who became disabled while on active military service on or after October 1, 2001. Social Security benefits are different than those from the Veterans Administration and require a separate application.
This page may contain links to other resources that may be of assistance to people with disabilities. OLRS does not guarantee that the information provided within the destination link is accurate or right for the particular needs of the person. Once you follow a link away from the OLRS Web site, refer to that site's privacy policy and disclaimer statements.
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