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Do I Need Medicare Part B If I Have VA Benefits?

If you are a veteran, you may be eligible to receive benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans benefits do not disqualify you from receiving other public benefits, such as Social Security benefits. Depending on the veterans benefits you receive, you may have to add Medicare coverage, a type of Social Security health insurance for seniors.

  1. Medicare

    • Medicare is the federal health insurance program that provides coverage to senior citizens and also some people who have a disability and who are eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits. Medicare consists of four types of coverage. If you have paid Medicare tax, you are entitled to receive Medicare Part A, hospital insurance, for free. Medicare's normal coverage starts at age 65 unless you are disabled. If you are retired by age 65, Part A and Part B coverage starts automatically, but you must pay a premium for Part B. You can choose to keep Part B and add other Medicare coverage, or you can choose to drop it. Either way, you keep Part A.

    Veterans Benefits and Medicare

    • Depending on the veterans benefits you receive, you may need to enroll in Medicare coverage to be able to keep your benefits. If you receive disability benefits, pension benefits or survivor benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, you are not required to enroll in Medicare when you become eligible to do so. If you are entitled to free Part A coverage, your coverage starts whether you have veterans benefits or not. However, if you are enrolled in the military health insurance program, TRICARE, once you become eligible to receive Medicare Part A benefits, you are also required to enroll in Medicare Part B unless you meet conditions to make an exception.

    TRICARE

    • TRICARE is the military health insurance program, and its coverage extends to veterans and their family members as well. Surviving family members are also eligible to receive TRICARE coverage. TRICARE offers different types of health coverage, according to the plan in which you enroll. TRICARE also has dental and prescription drug benefits available in its plans. If you are eligible to receive TRICARE coverage, your eligibility does not change as your military status changes, as you get older, when you retire or when you get a job. The same rule applies to your family members. However, your TRICARE coverage does come conditional upon your enrollment in Part B as mentioned above.

    Exceptions

    • You are not required to enroll in Medicare Part B to keep your TRICARE coverage if you are the spouse or the child of a veteran who is still an active-duty service member or if you are the veteran who is still on active duty. If you reach retirement age, you are not required to enroll in Medicare part B to keep TRICARE if you have a group or union health insurance policy.

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