Medicaid Chip And Insurance Plans Through The Marketplace

When you fill out a Marketplace application, youll find out if you qualify for any of these types of coverage:

• A Marketplace insurance plan. You may qualify for premium tax credits and savings on deductibles, copayments, and other out-of-pocket costs based on your household size and income. Some people with low incomes may wind up paying very small premiums. Learn about getting lower costs on a Marketplace insurance plan.
• Medicaid. Medicaid provides coverage to millions of Americans with limited incomes or disabilities. Many states have expanded Medicaid to cover all people below certain income levels. Learn more about Medicaid and how to apply.
• Childrens Health Insurance Program . CHIP provides coverage for children, and in some states pregnant women, in families with incomes too high for Medicaid but too low to afford private insurance. Learn more about CHIP.

After you finish your Marketplace application, youll get an eligibility determination that tells you what kind of coverage you and others in your household qualify for.

Va Disability Compensation For Spouses And Dependents

The Department of Veterans Affairs Dependency and Indemnity Compensation program offers monthly benefits to surviving spouses and dependents, in recognition of the economic loss caused by a Servicemembers death during military service, or by the death of a Veteran as a result of a service-connected disability according to the VA.

These benefits may also be available under qualifying circumstances for the survivors of a veteran whose death is not service-connected if the veteran was VA-rated as being 100% disabled due to service-connected reasons.

VA DIC Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for VA DIC, a surviving spouse must be:

• Was married to the Veteran for at least one year OR
• Had a child with the Veteran, AND lived together with the veteran continuously until the Veterans death or, if separated, was not at fault for the separation, AND is not currently remarried.

Surviving spouses who remarry on or after December 16, 2003, and on or after turning 57 years old are permitted to apply for and/or continue receiving DIC.

To qualify for VA DIC, a surviving dependent must be:

• Not included on the surviving spouses DIC, AND
• Unmarried, AND
• Under age 18, or between the ages of 18 and 23 and attending school.

VA DIC for Qualifying Dependent Parents

VA Education and Training Benefits for Spouses, Dependents, and Survivors

You can get help with an application for these benefits via your nearest VA Regional Office.

Using Va Benefits For Senior Care

VA benefits certainly have their limitations when it comes to senior care. Veterans who need the help of an assisted living or nursing home community can still get help through the VA, but getting that help requires additional programs beyond the health care benefit and a little bit of creativity. Specifically, the Homebound and Aid and Attendance programs offer some support that can make long-term care doable for veterans and their families.

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Eligibility: Medicare Vs Va Health Care

Most people become eligible for Medicare when they turn 65 years old. You can also enroll in Medicare at a younger age if you have a qualifying disability.

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis do not have a waiting period, but people on SSDI benefits for other disabilities will need to wait 24 months to get coverage. Medicare for end-stage renal disease has its own set of requirements.

VA Health Care eligibility, on the other hand, is not dependent on age or disability. It is determined based on service.

People who served in the active military, naval, or air service are eligible if:

• They served before September 7, 1980.
• They enlisted after September 7, 1980 and served 24 continuous months or the full period assigned to active duty.
• They were discharged due to a disability that occurred or was aggravated during active duty.
• They were discharged for a hardship or an early out.

People who served in the Reserves or National Guard are eligible if they completed the full period assigned to active duty as long as that assignment was not for training purposes.

VA Health Care benefits are not granted to anyone who was dishonorably discharged.

Veterans Affairs Medical Benefit Program

Benefit Fact Sheet

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides a Medical Benefits Package, a standard enhanced health benefits plan available to all enrolled Veterans. This plan emphasizes preventive and primary care, and offers a full range of outpatient and inpatient services within the VA health care system. There is no monthly premium required to use VA care, however Veterans may have to agree to pay copayments. If a Veteran has health insurance, it may cover the cost of co pays. VA will provide combat Veterans free medical care for any illness possibly associated with service during a period of hostility for five years from the Veteran’s release from active duty.

All Veterans are Potentially Eligible. Eligibility for most Veterans’ health care benefits is based solely on active military service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps , or as a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and a discharge under other than dishonorable conditions. Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers who were called to active duty by a Federal Executive Order may qualify for VA health care benefits. Retiring Soldiers, including Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations have special eligibility for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for five years following discharge from active duty.

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What Information Do I Need To Provide

Youll need to provide your gross household income for the previous year. So if youre applying for health care in 2019, youll need to provide your gross household income for 2018.

Your gross household income means the total amount of money youand anyone living with you in your homeearned within one calendar year, before taxes. This includes your income from work as well as any other sources, like money you may have taken from a retirement fund or income from the sale of a house. If you have a spouse, partner, or dependent child who also contributes income to your family, youll need to include this income in your application.

The Va Healthcare System

The VA Healthcare System The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites. VA healthcare serves about 9 million enrolled Veterans each year. The division of VA known as Veterans Health Care Administration accounts for 39% of the VA’s budget and includes 324,701 employees, representing 89% of the Department’s workforce. Spending for medical care by VHA in 2019 was $76.5 billion.

The VA health care system has routinely been recognized by numerous surveys as being one of the best providers of health care. Currently due to budget constraints resulting in inability to provide care to everyone, not all veterans can get into the system. Or they may receive care but have significant out-of-pocket co-pays for hospitalization and nursing home care.

For many of the beneficiaries in the system, services are free and medications for most veterans are $5.00 per 30 day supply for generic drugs, $8.00 per 30 days for non-preferred generic and over-the-counter and $11.00 per 30 days for brand-name. For veterans rated 50% or more for Compensation, medications are free.

Length of Service and Duty Requirements for Healthcare

• Discharged for a disability that was caused or made worse by active-duty service, or
• Discharged for a hardship or “early out,” or
• Served prior to September 7, 1980

Other Than Honorable, Bad Conduct, or Dishonorable Discharge

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Va Health Care Eligibility Questionnaire

Lets start by looking at some basic eligibility requirements, based on the VA health care eligibility questionnaire:

1. Are any of these statements true?

• You served in the active military, naval, or air service and were discharged or released with a rating of Honorable or General under Honorable Conditions
• You were/are a Reservist or National Guard member and you were called to active duty by a Federal Order and you completed the full call-up period

Veterans have the option of selecting yes or no.

If you answer yes, you will be taken to the following question: Are any of these statements true?

• You were discharged or separated for medical reasons, early out, or hardship
• You served in theater of combat operations within the past 5 years
• You were discharged from the military because of a disability
• You are a former Prisoner of War
• You receive VA pension or disability benefits
• You receive state Medicaid benefits
• Served in the Republic of Vietnam from January 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975
• Served in the Persian Gulf from August 2, 1990 to November 11, 1998

If you answer Yes to the second question, you most likely qualify for VA health care. You can skip to the section below, labeled Applying for VA Health Care Benefits.

Important note about household income:

The VA automatically determines the veterans income and deductible expenses by matching records with the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration.

Once Im Enrolled Do I Need To Update My Income Information Every Year

This depends on your situation:

• If you completed a financial assessment to find out if you were eligible for cost-free medications or for beneficiary travel pay , youll need to provide updated income information each year.
• If we determine youre eligible for free VA health care because your household income is below our income limit, you dont have to provide updated income information each year.

Well receive your income information from the IRS and the SSA each year to confirm that youre still eligible for free VA health care. Well contact you only if this information changes your eligibility or copay requirements. If you disagree with the information, you can keep using VA health care services while we review your situation.

Note: Even when not required, we encourage you to report changes in your income. It’s also important to let us know about changes to your personal information . You can do this any time by using our Health Benefits Update Form .

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Aid And Attendance Benefit For Long

A& A is an additional pension amount paid to veterans who have long-term care needs due to disability or age. If a veteran served in active duty for at least 90 consecutive days, including one day during a time of war, and is already collecting a military pension, they may qualify for the A& A pension addition. This program can also be paid to surviving spouses of certain eligible veterans.

A& A benefits have specific clinical criteria that the veteran must meet to qualify. These include:

• Being bedridden
• Suffering a severe visual impairment that cannot be corrected with glasses
• Needing to reside in a nursing home due to the disability or health need
• Needing help with activities of daily living

The VA also has net worth limits and income limits when approving A& A applications. Income is based on the Income for VA purposes, which is the income of the veteran and any living spouse, minus any unreimbursed health care costs. The health care costs that a patient in a nursing home facility has are included in this.

If the veteran meets the clinical and income guidelines, they can receive an additional pension amount each month, which they can then use to pay for long-term care or in-home care. The program does not pay assisted living or nursing home care directly but rather provides money through your pension that you can use toward those expenses.

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The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation for advice on taxes, your investments, the law, or any other business and professional matters that affect you and/or your business.

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Flu Season Get A Free Flu Shot From The Va

About Ryan Guina

Ryan Guina is The Military Wallet’s founder. He is a writer, small business owner, and entrepreneur. He served over six years on active duty in the USAF and is a current member of the Illinois Air National Guard.

Ryan started The Military Wallet in 2007 after separating from active duty military service and has been writing about financial, small business, and military benefits topics since then. He also writes about personal finance and investing at Cash Money Life.

Ryan uses Personal Capital to track and manage his finances. Personal Capital is a free software program that allows him to track his net worth, balance his investment portfolio, track his income and expenses, and much more. You can open a free Personal Capital account here.

Featured In: Ryan’s writing has been featured in the following publications: Forbes, Military.com, US News & World Report, Yahoo Finance, Reserve & National Guard Magazine , Military Influencer Magazine, Cash Money Life, The Military Guide, USAA, Go Banking Rates, and many other publications.

Does The Va Provide Long

The VA provides long-term care services for veterans meeting specified criteria, which may include service-connected conditions and the need for such care.

The Veterans Millennium Healthcare and Benefits Act ” rel=”nofollow”> P.L. 106-117) requires the VA to provide nursing home services to all enrolled veterans who are 70% or more service-connected disabled, or 60% or more service-connected disabled and unemployable and in need of such care, or who are service-connected for a condition that makes such care necessary.37 The VA meets the requirements of P.L. 106-117 by providing short- and long-term nursing care, respite, and end-of-life care through three different settings: Community Living Centers located on VA medical campuses contracted care in Community Nursing Homes and through the State Veterans Nursing Home program. Under the SVNH program, the VA subsidizes state-operated, long-term care facilities for veterans through a grant and per diem program in states that have petitioned the VA to build and operate a SVNH. The SVNH program primarily provides long-stay, maintenance-level care. Each SVNH is owned and operated by its host state however, approximately two-thirds of new construction costs and about one-third of per diem costs are provided by the VA. For those veterans who are 70% or more service-connected disabled and reside in a SVNH, the VA provides the full cost of care.

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Appendix Va Priority Groups And Their Eligibility Criteria

The VA classifies veterans into eight enrollment Priority Groups based on an array of factors including service-connected disabilities or exposures,71 prisoner of war status, receipt of a Purple Heart or Medal of Honor, and income. The criteria for each Priority Group are summarized in Table A-1.

The eight Priority Groups fall into two broad categories. The first group is composed of veterans with service-connected disabilities or with incomes below an established means test. These veterans are regarded by the VA as “high priority” veterans, and they are enrolled in Priority Groups 1-6. Veterans enrolled in Priority Groups 1-6 include the following:

• veterans in need of care for a service-connected disability
• veterans who have a compensable service-connected condition
• veterans whose discharge or release from active military, naval, or air service was for a compensable disability that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty
• veterans who are former prisoners of war
• veterans awarded the Purple Heart
• veterans who have been determined by the VA to be catastrophically disabled
• veterans of World War I
• veterans who were exposed to hazardous agents while on active duty and
• veterans who have an annual income and net worth below a VA-established means test threshold.

Table A-2 provides information on income thresholds for VA health care benefits.

Table A-1. VA Priority Groups and Their Eligibility Criteria

If You Dont Qualify Find Out How To Buy Dental Insurance For Veterans Through Va

Does the va offer health insurance for veterans. Hiring veteransthat works for us Through our Veterans Hiring Initiative weve hired more than 5500 veterans and their spouses since 2011. VA wants all Veterans and their families to receive health care that improves their health and wellbeing. VA health care coverage is available for family members of certain Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled or died serving our country and in some cases Veterans with children who have Spina Bifida.

Check your claim status. This matrix is the creation of former and current members of the Veterans Benefits Administration Web Communications Office. Well update this site if the ACA changes with new laws.

Being signed up for VA health care meets your Affordable Care Act health coverage requirement of having minimum essential health coverage You dont need any other insurance to meet this requirement. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites. Your VA benefits cover care at VA facilities but with a Medicare Advantage plan from Humana you can access doctors and hospitals outside the VA system which may be closer to home.

Veterans with a service-connected disability may be eligible for several VA insurance benefits for disabled Veterans. If youre signed up for the VA health care program you can manage your VA health and benefits online. You can also check the status of a disability or pension claim online.

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