DAV NATIONAL SERVICE AND LEGISLATIVE HEADQUARTERS

MEMO TO: National Officers
National Service Officers
Department Commanders and Adjutants
National Interim Legislative Committee
DAVA National Adjutant
FROM: Barry A. Jesinoski, Executive Director, Washington Headquarters
SUBJ: Supreme Court Decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
(ACA)
DATE: July 3, 2012
...

All veterans enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and their
dependents and survivors enrolled in CHAMPVA; and, all military families, military retirees,
military and retiree dependents; and survivors who are enrolled in military health care,
TRICARE, and TRICARE for Life, are deemed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services
to possess the minimum essential coverage that satisfies the individual mandate. As such,
veterans and military families are not required to buy private coverage in addition to their
government-provided health services.
...

One of the most popular features of the ACA guarantees that if health insurance plans
provide for coverage of dependent children at all, they must continue to extend that coverage to
young adult dependent children of insured families until those dependents achieve the age of 26
years. Within Title 38, United States Code, the authorizing statute for the VA’s CHAMPVA
program does not conform to this ACA requirement. Under current law CHAMPVA coverage
for dependents ends at age 18, or is extended to age 23 if the dependent child is enrolled in a
course of accredited full-time education or training following high school.
...

BARRY A. JESINOSKI
Executive Director
Washington Headquarters