38 CFR Part 17
VA Health Care — Eligibility and Copayments
Enrollment priority groups and the copay rules that follow from your rating.
Read the official text of 38 CFR Part 17In plain English
Part 17 sets who can enroll in VA health care and what they pay. Enrollment is organized into priority groups, and your service-connected rating is the biggest single factor in where you land.
Section 17.108 is the copayment rule. Veterans rated 50% or higher, and veterans receiving care for a service-connected condition, generally owe no copayment for outpatient care. Lower priority groups pay tiered copays depending on the type of visit.
What the rule actually requires
- Priority Group 1 covers veterans rated 50% or more, or determined unemployable — no copays for care.
- Care for a service-connected condition is copay-free regardless of priority group.
- Copayment tiers for primary, specialty, and urgent care apply to lower priority groups.
- PACT Act expanded eligibility for toxic-exposed veterans, including those who previously did not qualify.
Why this matters to your claim
Moving from 40% to 50% does far more than change the monthly check — it can eliminate health care copays entirely for you, which is often worth more than the rating increase itself.
This is our plain-English summary, written for veterans — it is not the regulation itself and it is not legal advice. The controlling text is the current official version, linked above. The VA makes all final decisions about eligibility and payment.
Official text of 38 CFR Part 17
