You are entitled to VA health care benefits for treating a service-connected condition if you have a service-related disability.

A signed written reimbursement request stating why the prescription was received from a non-CCN pharmacy rather than a CCN or VA pharmacy. This requirement can be met by submitting VA Form 10-583. A valid prescription receipt reflecting the amount paid.

Learn how to use your Department of Veterans Affairs health care benefits to pay for your prescriptions.

VA Healthcare Benefits

Your health insurance plan pays for many services, including checkups and screenings, hospitalization, surgery, therapy, medication, and even hospice care if you ever need it. Dental care, glasses, hearing aids, transportation costs to and from medical appointments, prosthetic devices, durable medical equipment, and ambulance services can all be partially covered by VA Benefits.

The Women Veterans Program, the Blind Veterans Program, Readjustment Counseling, Bereavement Counseling, and Military Sexual Trauma Counseling are just some of the specialized services in addition to the standard benefits. Cosmetic surgery that is not medically necessary, abortions, gender reassignment, in vitro fertilization, health club memberships, and drugs not approved by the FDA are not covered by VA benefits.

Regarding healthcare, veterans can rely on the VA, which has its system managed by the federal government. In most cases, veterans are required to seek care from a VA-approved doctor or hospital. However, the VA may grant permission to see a non-VA provider in an emergency or if the VA clinic doesn’t offer the care you require. If you choose to receive care from a non-VA facility, you will be responsible for the costs upfront, and the VA will reimburse you.

Does Walgreens Cover VA Prescriptions?

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is collaborating with Walgreens, a pharmacy service provider, to coordinate better the care of VA enrollees who use pharmaceuticals.

VA providers will have one-click access to a patient’s entire Walgreens prescription and immunization history for VA enrollees who use the pharmacy.

VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said, “This arrangement is the first of its kind and a strong collaboration.” Secretary Wilkie said, “Partnerships like this will help VA continue to improve the way we care for Veterans.”

VA is actively refining its ability to track medication prescribed by community providers as it expands its community care program. In the past, VA doctors would ask their patients to report when their prescriptions were filled at Walgreens. Thanks to the VA-Walgreens exchange, doctors at the VA can now see the exact medications that their VA-enrolled patients who receive care from community doctors and fill at Walgreens are taking.

For the past five years, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Walgreens have worked together to offer free flu shots to eligible Veterans. This has increased both vaccination rates and accessibility.

How Much Does the VA Charge for Prescriptions?

Priority group 1 recipients include those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor or have a service-connected disability rated at 50% or higher, those deemed unemployable due to their disability, and those deemed permanently and totally disabled.

Prescription drugs for conditions unrelated to military service and OTC drugs (like aspirin, cough syrup, and vitamins) purchased from a VA pharmacy. You may consider sourcing your over-the-counter drugs.

You will establish your total cost for these prescriptions by factoring in the drug’s “tier,” or price category, and the quantity you receive (in this case, measured in days’ worth). You will not be responsible for any further medication copayments within the calendar year (January 1 – December 31) once you have spent $700. A copayment maximum exists in this case.

Do VA Negotiate Drug Prices?

According to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal government spends twice as much on prescription drugs when it reimburses private-sector middlemen in Medicare Part D as it does when buying the drugs directly through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) single-payer drug plan (GAO).

The Government Accountability Office also reports that the VA frequently opts for less costly options. At least half (233) of the 399 drugs were less expensive for the VA to purchase than they would have been for Medicare Part D, and 106 were more than 75% cheaper. The VA paid 48% less than Medicare for generic versions of the same medications. The VA paid 49% less for brand-name medications.

Sanders stated that if the Veterans Administration successfully negotiated reduced medicine pricing with pharmaceutical corporations, Medicare should be given the right to do the same. Medicare pays twice as much as the VA for the same medications but for no good reason. The pharmaceutical industry’s practice of taking advantage of the more than 40 million people in the United States who have Medicare Part D coverage for their prescription drugs must end. Congress should mandate Medicare to bargain for lower drug prices and take on the pharmaceutical industry’s greed.

Who Does the VA Use for Prescriptions?

You can delay enrolling in Medicare Part D without incurring any penalties because the VA’s prescription drug coverage is “creditable,” meaning that Medicare considers it at least as good as Part D. Having access to VA and Part D drug benefits, on the other hand, opens up more options and flexibility:

• You can fill non-VA doctors’ prescriptions at regular pharmacies.
• When the VA doesn’t cover a medication, you can still get it.
• Extra Help is available through Part D if your income is low enough.

Keep in mind that you cannot have the same prescription filled under both programs. Members of Medicare Part D plans can use their pharmacy benefit cards at any pharmacy in their plans’ pharmacy networks or through the VA’s mail-order program.

Fill out VA Form 10-0426, Prescription Ordering for Medication Sent by Mail, and enclose the original prescription (not a copy) with your order. Include the doctor’s name, phone number, and mailing address on the prescription, and have the patient’s Social Security number printed on the form.