How to Apply for VA Health Care: Who Qualifies, What to Bring, and What Happens After You File the 10-10EZ

You apply for VA health care with one form, VA Form 10-10EZ, and the fastest way to file it is online at VA.gov, which takes most people about 30 minutes. VA says most online applications get a decision within about a week. You do not need a disability rating, a referral, or a doctor’s note to apply.

The application decides two things at once: whether you are eligible at all, and which of eight priority groups you land in. The priority group sets your copays and, for the last group, whether VA can enroll you. Most delays come from four avoidable gaps on the form, which are covered near the end.

Key Takeaways

• One form, four ways to file. VA Form 10-10EZ online at VA.gov, by phone at 877-222-8387 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET), by mail, or in person at any VA medical center or clinic.
• The 24-month rule applies to veterans who enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty as an officer after October 16, 1981. Discharge for a service-connected disability, a hardship, or an early out waives it.
• The PACT Act opened enrollment on March 5, 2024, to every veteran exposed to toxins or hazards during service, including anyone who deployed to a combat zone after 9/11.
• Your priority group decides your copays. Group 1 pays nothing. Groups 7 and 8 pay the full copay schedule, and group 8 veterans more than 10 percent above VA’s income threshold cannot enroll.
• Health care and compensation are separate. A rating does not enroll you, and enrolling does not file a claim.

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Who Qualifies

VA health care has two basic requirements: you served on active duty and were separated under any condition other than dishonorable. A general discharge qualifies. An other-than-honorable discharge is decided case by case, and VA has enrolled many OTH veterans since 2017, particularly for mental health care.

The minimum duty requirement

If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty as an officer after October 16, 1981, you must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty, whichever is shorter.

The rule does not apply if any of these is true:

• You were discharged for a disability that was caused or made worse by service.
• You were discharged for a hardship or given an early out.
• You served before those 1980 and 1981 dates.

Reserve and National Guard

Reserve and Guard members qualify if they were called to active duty under federal orders and completed the full period of that order. Weekend drills and annual training on state orders do not count on their own. A Guard member federalized for a deployment does count.

The PACT Act

The PACT Act, signed in August 2022, is the largest expansion of VA health care eligibility in decades. As of March 5, 2024, VA enrolls every veteran who meets any of these:

• Served in a combat zone after September 11, 2001, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and the broader Global War on Terror.
• Served in the Gulf War, in Vietnam, or in other listed locations and periods tied to toxic exposure.
• Was exposed to toxins or hazards during training or active duty in the United States, without ever deploying.

You do not have to prove a specific exposure or a current illness to enroll under the PACT Act. Service in a listed place and period is enough. VA’s own advice is to apply now rather than wait.

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How to Apply

To apply for VA health care:

1. Gather what the form asks for (the list is in the next section).
2. File VA Form 10-10EZ in one of four ways:
   • Online at VA.gov, signed in with Login.gov or ID.me. This is the fastest route and lets you save and return to the form.
   • By phone at 877-222-8387, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. A VA representative fills in the form with you.
   • By mail. Download the 10-10EZ, sign it, and mail it to the Health Eligibility Center address printed on the form.
   • In person at any VA medical center or community-based outpatient clinic. Ask for the enrollment office.
3. Wait for the decision letter. Online applications usually get a decision in about a week. Mail and phone applications take longer.
4. Take the welcome call. Once enrolled, VA calls to schedule a first appointment with a primary care team at the facility you chose.

If you have not heard anything after two weeks, call the same 877 number and ask for the status of your enrollment.

What the form asks for

You can complete the 10-10EZ without every document in hand, but having these ready avoids a follow-up request.

• Your DD214 or other separation papers. VA can usually pull these itself, but attaching a copy shortens the review.
• Social Security numbers for you, your spouse, and any dependents you list.
• Health insurance details, including Medicare, Medicaid, or an employer plan. Bring the card or the policy number.
• Last year’s gross household income, plus deductible expenses such as unreimbursed medical costs, funeral costs, and education costs. This is the financial assessment, and it only matters for veterans without a service-connected rating or another qualifying factor.
• Your preferred VA facility. The form lets you pick the medical center or clinic where you want to be seen.

The four mistakes that delay enrollment

1. Skipping the income section. If you have no service-connected rating, VA uses your income to set your priority group. Leave it blank and VA either sends the form back or places you in group 8 by default.
2. Not listing dependents. Dependents raise the income threshold, which can move you from group 8 to group 5 or 7. They cost nothing to add.
3. Leaving out other insurance. VA bills your insurer for non-service-connected care, and the money supports the facility. Omitting it does not lower your copays. It can trigger a follow-up letter.
4. Waiting for a rating first. Health care enrollment does not depend on a compensation claim. File both, in either order, and let each move on its own timeline.

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Priority Groups: What They Are and Why They Matter

When VA enrolls you, it assigns one of eight priority groups. The group determines two things: what you pay for care, and, if the system ever has to limit enrollment, who is seen first. Under 38 CFR 17.36, the groups run from veterans with the most serious service-connected disabilities down to veterans with no service connection and higher incomes.

Three things decide where you land, in this order:

1. A service-connected rating. Any rating of 10% or higher puts you in groups 1 to 3 regardless of income. That is why a compensation claim, even for a 10% condition, changes your health care costs.
2. A qualifying status. PACT Act exposure, combat service within the last 10 years, POW status, a Purple Heart, or a catastrophic disability each place you in a specific group without a means test.
3. Income. Only if neither of the first two applies does VA compare your household income to its thresholds. The thresholds change every January and rise with each dependent.

VA moves you between groups automatically when your circumstances change. A rating decision that arrives after enrollment updates your group without a new application.

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What Care Costs

Enrollment is free, and there is no premium. What you pay depends on your group and whether the care is connected to service. VA publishes the copay schedule each January. The 2026 figures:

Several things carry no copay for anyone in any group: care for a service-connected condition, preventive screenings and vaccines, lab work and X-rays, readjustment counseling, and care related to military sexual trauma. Medication copays are capped at an annual limit for groups 2 to 8.

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After You Are Enrolled

Three things happen within a few weeks of the decision letter:

1. A welcome call from your chosen facility to schedule a first primary care appointment. If nobody calls within two weeks, call the facility’s enrollment office directly.
2. A Veteran Health Identification Card, which you get by having your photo taken at the facility. You do not need it to be seen, but it speeds check-in.
3. The Veterans Health Benefits Handbook, mailed to you, which lists your priority group, your copay status, and the facility you are assigned to.

Your first appointment is a full intake: history, medications, screenings, and a care plan. If you need a specialist, your primary care team places the referral. If VA cannot see you within its wait-time standards or you live too far from the nearest facility, VA must offer community care with a non-VA provider, which is covered in a separate guide.