Veterans Affairs Facilities
When and how you get care at a VA facility depends on your military status and your health care needs. Individuals need to qualify for VA benefits, VA facilities cannot serve all TRICARE For Life beneficiaries. Find a VA facility near you.
Beneficiaries Using TRICARE For Life
VA facilities, even if they are in the TRICARE network, are not Medicare-certified providers.
- Medicare can't pay for care at a government facility.
- When you use TRICARE For Life (TFL) to get care for a condition not connected to service from a VA facility, the VA can’t bill Medicare.
- TFL can pay only up to 20% of the TFL allowable charge. You’re responsible for the remaining balance.
You should get care for your service-connected disability at a VA facility. For all other care, consider your options, including using a Medicare-certified provider. When using Medicare providers, you typically have no out-of-pocket costs for services covered by both Medicare and TFL. If you use your TFL benefit at a VA facility and have no other VA benefit to cover those costs, you'll be required to pay the remaining balance after TFL pays its 20% of the TFL allowable charge.
Patient's Request for Medical Payment (DD Form 2642)
Talk to your VA facility about your VA options, including how VA processes claims and who will submit claims to TFL. Find out more about how TFL works with VA.