Enrolling in VA health care and keeping TRICARE Prime are not mutually exclusive, and having one does not reduce or replace the other. Many military retirees carry both, using each system for what it does best.
Eligibility for VA health care is separate from VA disability compensation, but a compensable service-connected rating affects how you are prioritized and what you pay. Veterans rated 50% or more service-connected are placed in Priority Group 1, which generally means no enrollment fees, no copays for care, and no copays for medications related to any condition, not just the service-connected ones. At 70% P&T with TDIU, you would very likely fall into this top priority group, meaning VA care could be essentially free, including treatment for conditions that are not yet service-connected, such as GERD, IBS, or tinnitus.
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 |
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Analyze my claim free →The main things VA health care adds that TRICARE does not automatically include are: no-cost care tied to your priority group, access to VA specialty programs (audiology, mental health/PTSD-specific care, prosthetics, dental in some cases for higher ratings), and importantly, VA compensation and pension exams and treatment records that can directly support future disability claims. If you ever want to file for GERD, IBS, tinnitus, or other unclaimed conditions, having them documented and treated somewhere — VA or civilian — strengthens the claim; untreated conditions with no medical evidence are much harder to service-connect.
There is no real drawback to dual enrollment. TRICARE Prime does not require you to drop VA enrollment, and enrolling in VA care does not cancel or interfere with TRICARE. The two systems don't automatically coordinate billing, so you would generally choose which system handles a given episode of care rather than having both bill simultaneously; VA facilities and providers handle that internally when you're seen there. Distance from a VA hospital is a common concern, but the VA also has community care options and, depending on location, VA clinics or urgent care agreements closer to home, so an hour's drive to Charleston doesn't have to mean every visit requires that trip.
Given your rating and health issues that have never been formally evaluated, enrolling costs nothing and creates a documented record that could matter later.
The concrete next step is to submit VA Form 10-10EZ (Application for Health Benefits) to enroll, either online through VA.gov, by phone, or at the Charleston VA, so you can start using VA care alongside TRICARE Prime without giving up anything.
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