VA Benefits Explorer

Medical care through VA facilities covering primary care, specialty care, preventive services, inpatient treatment, and prescriptions. Veterans are assigned to one of eight priority groups that determine copay levels.

Guide: 11 things to gather, 15 steps

Allows enrolled veterans to receive care from approved non-VA community providers when VA cannot provide timely or geographically accessible care. Veterans remain responsible for applicable copayments.

Guide: 4 things to gather, 6 steps

Mileage reimbursement for travel to VA or VA-authorized health care, currently 41.5 cents per mile, claimed online through the Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS, sign-in via AccessVA) or on paper with VA Form 10-3542. Covers travel at a 30%+ service-connected rating, travel for a service-connected condition at any rating, VA pension recipients, income below the maximum annual VA pension rate, and VA-preapproved special mode transport such as an ambulance or wheelchair van. A $3 deductible applies to each one-way trip ($6 round trip), capped at $18 per month; VA waives the deductible for pension recipients, VA claim exam travel, and income-based hardship. Claims must be filed within 30 days of the appointment; later claims are usually denied.

Guide: 5 things to gather, 5 steps

Outpatient, inpatient, and residential mental health treatment including PTSD care, depression, anxiety, grief counseling, and substance use disorder programs across all VA medical centers.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 5 steps

Specialized PTSD clinical teams at nearly 200 VA facilities offering evidence-based psychotherapy (Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure), medication management, residential programs, and telehealth options.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 5 steps

Free counseling and treatment for physical and mental health conditions related to sexual assault or threatening sexual harassment experienced during military service. No formal report or proof required.

Guide: 5 things to gather, 11 steps

Medically supervised detox, medication-assisted treatment (methadone, buprenorphine), outpatient and inpatient counseling, relapse prevention, and specialized programs for women veterans and returning combat veterans.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 6 steps

Interdisciplinary evaluation and rehabilitation for veterans with traumatic brain injuries, including five VA polytrauma rehabilitation centers for those with complex, multiple-system injuries.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 5 steps

Gender-specific primary care including gynecological exams, maternity care, reproductive health services, menopause management, and designated Women Veterans Program Managers at every VA facility.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 5 steps

Any needed dental care for veterans with a compensable service-connected dental condition, a 100% service-connected rating (or unemployability paid at the 100% rate), or former POW status. VR&E participants get the dental care their program needs, and some recently discharged veterans get one-time care.

Guide: 4 things to gather, 5 steps

The VA Dental Insurance Program (VADIP) offers discounted private dental insurance plans from Delta Dental or MetLife, and enrollment is online with the chosen carrier. Veterans enrolled in VA health care can buy a plan, and so can current or surviving spouses and dependent children enrolled in CHAMPVA. Plan members pay the full premium and any required copays, and signing up does not affect access to free VA dental care.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 6 steps

Routine eye exams for veterans enrolled in VA health care, and eyeglasses for groups VA lists, such as veterans with a compensable service-connected disability, former POWs, Purple Heart recipients, and veterans with vision problems caused by conditions VA is treating.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 5 steps

Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation for veterans and active-duty service members who are blind or have low vision, including vision devices and training in their use, visual skills, and orientation and mobility training, to help them live independently.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 6 steps

VA-operated nursing care facilities providing skilled nursing, rehabilitation, memory care, and hospice services for veterans who need ongoing support in a homelike environment.

Guide: 4 things to gather, 6 steps

A VA health care team, led by a VA doctor, gives primary care and services such as nursing care, physical therapy, and help with daily tasks in your home, for veterans who need in-home support for ongoing illnesses that affect their health and daily activities, often because their illness makes clinic visits hard (being homebound is not required), and for veterans who are isolated or whose caregiver is strained. It is not offered everywhere; a VA doctor or social worker can say whether it serves your area.

Guide: 3 things to gather, 5 steps