Once you receive a disability rating, enrolling in VA healthcare for yourself is a separate process from getting your dependents covered through CHAMPVA. CHAMPVA (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the VA) is only available to dependents of veterans who are rated 100% permanent and total, or who were rated permanently and totally disabled at the time of death. If your rating is below 100% P&T, your dependents are not eligible for CHAMPVA, though they may still qualify for Tricare if you have prior qualifying service, or for private/marketplace insurance.
If you are 100% P&T, you apply for CHAMPVA separately using VA Form 10-10d, along with proof of the veteran's rating decision, marriage certificate, and dependents' birth certificates. This is not automatic just because you enrolled in VA healthcare or added dependents through eBenefits/VA.gov — it requires its own application submitted to the CHAMPVA program in Denver. Processing can take some time, and you should follow up if you do not receive confirmation.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
Does your rating decision hold up under a real audit?
Upload your decision letter and C&P exams — VetAid's analyzer reads the full file, checks every examiner statement word-for-word against your records, and shows which arguments for a higher rating actually hold. Free, and we never take a cut of your back pay.
Analyze my claim free →For your own VA healthcare enrollment, once your application is processed, you should receive a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) in the mail, which you use to check in at VA facilities — this is different from any insurance card CHAMPVA-eligible dependents would receive once approved. You can find which VA medical centers and community-based outpatient clinics are linked to your enrollment by checking your profile on VA.gov or calling the VA facility you selected during enrollment; urgent care eligibility through VA's community care network is separate and typically depends on your enrollment status and distance/wait-time standards.
Regarding base access, a Dependent ID Card (formerly called a dependent military ID) allowing commissary, exchange, and MWR privileges is generally tied to specific eligibility categories, most commonly 100% P&T disabled veterans and their dependents, Purple Heart recipients, and certain other qualifying groups under recent legislation. If you qualify, you and your spouse would apply for these cards through a local ID card office (usually on a military installation) via the DEERS system, not through the VA directly.
Because CHAMPVA and base access both hinge specifically on a 100% permanent and total rating, the concrete next step is to confirm your exact disability rating and permanency status on your VA decision letter, and if you meet that threshold, submit VA Form 10-10d for CHAMPVA and contact a nearby ID card office to schedule DEERS enrollment for your spouse and dependents.
Need a deeper analysis?
Our AI checks your situation against outcome data from 1,300,000+ Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) decisions (2009–2025).
Analyze Your Claim Free