Once enrolled in VA health care, do I have to use a VA primary care doctor, or can I keep my TRICARE/private doctor?

Enrolling in VA health care does not obligate you to use VA for all, or even most, of your care. VA enrollment establishes eligibility; it does not require you to transfer your primary care to VA or to stop seeing outside providers. There is no regulatory requirement that enrolled veterans see a VA primary care provider on any set schedule, such as every six months or annually. Many veterans use VA only for specific services, such as pharmacy, mental health, audiology, or a one-time dental benefit, while keeping their primary care elsewhere through TRICARE, private insurance, or Medicare.

That said, some VA services are easier to access, or only available, if you have an active VA primary care provider coordinating your care, particularly certain specialty referrals or ongoing prescription management through VA pharmacy. If you plan to use VA only occasionally, it is worth asking the enrollment coordinator whether a specific service you want requires an assigned VA primary care team.

On medical records, there is no requirement to proactively send your outside records to VA. Many veterans keep their non-VA records with their private provider and only submit relevant portions to VA if and when VA needs them, for example to support a disability claim or to coordinate a specific treatment. If VA is treating you for something ongoing, having key records on file can speed up care, but it is your choice what to share and when.

Regarding CHAMPVA, your understanding is correct: CHAMPVA is generally only available to dependents who are not otherwise eligible for TRICARE. If you are TRICARE-eligible and your dependents are covered under your TRICARE Prime plan, they would not qualify for CHAMPVA instead, since CHAMPVA and TRICARE eligibility are not meant to be split within the same family based on preference. CHAMPVA eligibility more commonly applies to dependents of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled and who lack TRICARE eligibility altogether.

As a next step, complete VA Form 10-10EZ enrollment so your registration-only status is resolved, and separately ask the enrollment coordinator to clarify, in writing if possible, which specific VA services (dental, specialty care, etc.) require an assigned VA primary care provider versus those you can access on an as-needed basis.