If you must, call me a moron, and get it out of the way.

I'm 60% service connected, but always wondered if it could be done?

I have heard that if there is an option for you to get insurance, VA would be excess. Was curious if anyone has experience with this?

My job has a stupid benefits plan, I opted out, and get a bit of compensation to boot.  I use VA (10%) but mainly just do a annual physical.

Would be nice to be able to get it in writing.

My wife and I are both vets and go to the VA for primary care since due to our disability she is 100% covered for anything and I am 100% covered with the exception of medications. I do have to have insurance through my work since my child is not covered by the VA so I have to buy insurance for myself (which I'll never use) and for my son. Priority group 1 is 100% covered including medications and priority group 2 is 100% covered not including medications. Find out what priority group you are and you can figure out what you qualify for.

40% And service connected. As soon as my ex-wife put our son on her health insurance instead of mine, I went strictly VA and am saving $142.50 a paycheck.  $142.50 was for Blue Cross of TX, self + family (to cover my son).

I'm retired Army and my wife uses Tricare.  I, however, use the VA - I'm in the Nashville TN area and the Nashville VA hospital has been pretty damned good.  Many of the doctors there are Vanderbilt University Med School professors.


When I retired, I worked a few years as a defense contractor.  My company was mostly former Special Ops (I was one of several former 5th SF Group guys in it), and had excellent medical benefit plan.  However, for those of us using Tricare or the VA, they gave us a Tricare supplement plan which covered most of the additional out-of-pocket costs of the Tricare Standard.  When our company closed up, I kept the Tricare supplement (I pay $136 a month to keep it), as its paid for itself during s few times my wife required hospital stays and surgeries.  Also, the supplement reimburses me the cost of the out-of-pocket prescription co-pays form my wife's meds.

I still use the VA.

I just spoke to the VA yesterday in reference to an explanation of benefits I got the other day.  I was told that because I am service connected (60%) that all medical expenses through the VA are 100% covered. I made sure to check that I heard everything correctly, and brought up the question that I wanted to know if having other insuracne changed anything. She told me the only thing having outside insurance did was allow the VA to bill them to recoup some money, but if they refused to pay anything, I would still be in the clear.

The only thing I go to the VA for anyways is service connected things (respiratory, knee/back, BP, and they pay for my allergy medicine (Zyrtec).

Thanks,

Douglas

What he said above.  Service connected for me.  I go for all my medical needs with VA care whether sercive connected or not.  I can't use it for dental care.  You have to either have service connected or former POW or 100% disability  If my wife didn't need to be on my insurance plan, I would drop my company insurance as well.  As read in this thread, the VA will still bill your insurance for what it can.