If you are a Veteran eligible for Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, you can also be enrolled in Medicare. You can use both programs but each works separately. Medicare won’t pay for care received in a VA facility, but it will pay for care at a Medicare-certified facility that accepts Medicare.
Veterans who have served their country certainly deserve to get as many benefits not covered by Medicare through their VA health benefits. Usually these VA services include annual physical exams, over the counter medications, and maybe hearing aids.
But Veterans should also consider enrolling in Part B of Medicare even if eligible for VA Coverage for two reasons. The first allows a Veteran the opportunity to receive medical coverage outside the VA health system. The second has to do with the Part B penalty if a Veteran does not enroll when first eligible.
A Veteran who does not enroll in Part B during an eligibility period will most likely incur a penalty for each 12-month period without Part B coverage and could experience gaps in coverage.
Enrolling in a Medicare Part D prescription plan often depends on what medications you are taking. Some veterans use only the VA system to get their medications.
Since the VA prescription program is considered creditable coverage (as good as or better than Part D of Medicare) no penalty is incurred if a veteran chooses a VA prescription plan and opts out of Medicare Part D.
If you do lose VA prescription coverage make sure you enroll in a Medicare Part D plan within 63 days of losing this coverage.
A veteran can have both Part D (prescriptions) through Medicare and VA prescription coverage at the same time but the two programs work separately.
You must choose between VA pharmacies and Part D network pharmacies depending on which plan has the best coverage for a specific medication.
There may be a reason for a veteran to join a Part D Medicare prescription plan when living in a nursing home outside the VA coverage area and must use a nursing home pharmacy to receive medications.
Still another reason to join a Part D plan occurs when one qualifies for extra help through the federal assistance program that helps veterans pay for their drug costs.
Our coaching service usually advises our veteran clients to enroll in Part B, get a low cost prescription and supplement insurance plan and then use their VA benefits for items not covered by Medicare.
This offers them peace of mind, choice of providers, and maximum protection. You can contact the VA Health Administration Center at 1-800-733-8387 or 1-877-222-VETS (877-222-8387) if you have more questions about your options.
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