Understanding your VA Health Care Transplant Benefits
VA Health Care has very good benefits for U.S. Military Veterans who need an organ transplant.
Veterans using VA Health Care pay much less toward their care
- Some Veterans have zero co-payments for medical care (including prescription costs) and some have a limit set on their co-payment amount
- All Veterans have medication co-payments capped at $700/year (if they have any co-payment)
- Co-payments depend on things like the Veteran’s disability rating, income level, military service record and which of the VA’s 8 priority groups the Veteran is assigned to upon enrolling in VA Health Care
- For more details re: copayments visit https://www.va.gov/health-care/copay-rates/
Other benefits for Veterans using VA Health Care
- Transportation is free, provided or mileage is reimbursed for travel to/from the Madison VA Transplant Center for transplant-related care
- Lodging is free for the Veteran and one support person while the Veteran is in Madison for any pre- and post-transplant related care
- These benefits depend on where the Veteran lives and/or where their primary VA is located
- The VA system shares electronic medical records, giving us direct access to all the Veteran’s medical records which improves timeliness and communication
- Care is managed by an experienced transplant nurse coordinator who aligns care from our clinical experts in transplant medicine, surgery, pharmacy/medications, social work, nutrition and physical therapy
Applying for VA Health Care
The VA will not pay for care unless you are enrolled in VA Health Care. Specific rules apply.
Learn if the Veteran is eligible
Direct the Veteran to: https://www.va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply/
or call the Madison VA eligibility office: 608-256-1901 x17038
The veteran should be prepared to provide a completed Application for Health Benefits (VA form 10-10EZ, which can be found online)
The application requires:
- The Veteran’s most recent tax return
- Social Security numbers for the Veteran and his/her qualified dependents
- Account numbers for any current health insurance that the Veteran has
Post-transplant Veterans can still benefit from VA Health Care
These benefits are helpful to Veterans who received their transplant, especially the pharmacy benefits. The VA will work with Veterans who request dual care (having a VA PCP and a non-VA PCP) or the Veteran can transfer all their care to the VA, if preferred. If the Veteran is not transitioning all care to the VA, they will need to see a VA PCP at least once a year to use their VA pharmacy benefit.
Benefit questions? Contact Sally Blake, Transplant Social Worker at 608-256-1901 x13487 or sally.blake@va.gov
Contacts and Locations
For information about referrals, dual listing or other transplant questions:
VA Transplant Office (all organs): 608-280-7072
More information and patient stories