Do combat veterans have to pay medical or prescription copays?
Veterans who qualify under this special authority are not subject to copays for conditions potentially related to their combat service. The VA health care provider is responsible for determining if treatment is possibly related to the veteran’s combat service. In making this determination, the health care provider must consider that the following types of conditions are not ordinarily considered to be due to military service: • Congenital or developmental conditions, for example, scoliosis, • Conditions which are known to have existed before military service, and • Conditions have a specific and well-established cause and that began after military combat service. Combat veterans, while not required to disclose their income information, may do so to determine their eligibility for a higher priority, beneficiary travel benefits and exemption of copays for care unrelated to their military service.
