Net Worth – No Longer a Factor in VA Health Care Eligibility

The Veterans Administration announced yesterday that it has eliminated the use of net worth as a factor for health care programs and copayment responsibilities. This change will make an estimated 190,000 Veterans eligible for reduced costs of their health services within an estimated 5-year period. Effective this year, VA health care benefits are more accessible to lower income Veterans. This is another step in giving Veterans the health care benefits they both need and deserve. The VA will only consider a Veteran’s gross household income and deductible expenses from the previous year, eliminating net worth as a factor. In continuing to make the healthcare process more efficient, as of March 2014, the VA now uses information from the I.R.S. and Social Security Administration to automatically match Veterans’ income information which no longer burdens Veterans with keeping their healthcare eligibility up to date. This new policy is in line with Secretary Robert A. McDonald’s ‘My VA Initiative’ which is fully focused on Veterans’ needs and will make the eligibility process more efficient for all Veterans. More information can be found at www.va.gov/healthbenefits.