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Key points
- VA encourages veterans who have VA health care to sign up for Medicare as soon as they can.[1]
- Even at 100% disabled, VA can decline care it decides isn’t medically necessary, and care outside VA needs VA approval first.[1]
- If you delay Part B and sign up later, Medicare adds 10% for each full year you could have had it, usually for life.[4]
- Some Medicare Advantage plans may help pay all or part of the Part B premium, but not in every area, and plans still have costs and rules.[2]
Watch: Why Do Veterans Still Need Medicare at 100% Disabled?
Medicare for 100% disabled veterans sounds unnecessary. You have full VA health care. You have full disability compensation. Why would you pay another premium on top of that?
Here is the answer nobody gives you. Even at 100% disabled, VA can say no. And if you skipped Part B waiting for a day that never came, you may have no backup and a penalty that lasts for life.
What VA says about Medicare for 100% disabled veterans
This is not my opinion. It is on VA’s own website. VA asks the question directly:
“If I already have VA health care benefits, should I still sign up for Medicare when I turn 65? Yes. We encourage you to sign up for Medicare as soon as you can.”
Think about that. VA encourages veterans who already have VA health care to sign up for Medicare. That includes 100% disabled veterans.
The same page explains part of why. VA writes that funding for VA health care could change in the future, and it encourages veterans to sign up for every health care benefit they are eligible for so they have options if they need them.[1]
VA is not predicting that funding will change. It is telling you, in writing, that it could.
VA can still say no at 100% disabled
Funding is the long-term concern. Here is the immediate one.
Even with a 100% disability rating, VA can decline a treatment it decides is not medically necessary. If you need care outside the VA system, VA has to approve it ahead of time, and that approval can be denied.[1] If you are traveling and need emergency care, VA has rules about what it covers away from home, and those rules have limits.
This is not VA bashing. My dad and I are happy with the care he gets through VA. But as he puts it, the VA is great, but it ain’t perfect.
My dad Wallace and the day VA said no
My dad, Wallace, is 82 years old and a Vietnam-era veteran. Earlier this year he needed a specific treatment. VA looked at it and said no. Not medically necessary in their eyes.
He is 82. He could have fought the system, filed paperwork, waited months, maybe won and maybe lost. Instead he called me and said, “Chris, they won’t cover it.”
I told him not to panic. That is why he has a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan. Call your doctor and go that route.
A week later he had an appointment with his primary care doctor. Shortly after that, he was getting the treatment he needed. VA said it wasn’t medically necessary. His Part C plan covered it.
My friend Ric is 100% disabled and he has Medicare
Ric is a 100% disabled Vietnam veteran. I have known him for over 20 years. Full VA health care. Full disability compensation.
And he has Medicare.
Not because anyone made him. He is enrolled in one of the Medicare health plans available in his county, and that plan includes some benefits that VA health care and Original Medicare don’t provide on their own.
Here is the part that matters most to Ric. If VA ever decides a treatment is not medically necessary, he can check whether his Medicare plan covers it, under that plan’s rules.
His VA benefits did not change. VA says having other health coverage doesn’t affect the VA health care benefits you can get.[1] But Medicare Advantage is a separate private plan with its own network, referral, prior authorization, coverage and cost rules. And when you have both, you choose which coverage to use each time you get care.[1]
What page 11 says about your Part B premium
Every year Medicare publishes a handbook called Medicare & You. You can get a free copy at Medicare.gov. On page 11 of the 2027 edition, Medicare says this about Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans:
“Some plans may have a $0 premium and may help pay all or part of your Part B premium.”
That is Medicare’s own language. Notice the word some. These plans are not available in every area. And a $0 plan premium is not free health care: you still may pay the Part B premium, and plans can have deductibles, copays, networks and approval rules.[2]
Page 11 applies to veterans the same way it applies to everyone else on Medicare.
The Part B penalty that traps veterans who wait
Here is where waiting gets expensive. VA’s own page warns that if you delay Part B and need to sign up later, “you’ll pay a penalty. This penalty gets bigger each year you delay signing up—and you’ll pay it every year for the rest of your life.”[1]
Medicare adds 10% to your Part B premium for each full 12-month period you could have signed up but didn’t, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.[4]
| Time without Part B | Penalty | Monthly Part B premium in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Signed up on time | 0% | $202.90 |
| 3 full years | 30% | $263.77 |
| 5 full years | 50% | $304.35 |
Standard premium shown. People with higher incomes pay more. Medicare rounds the total to the nearest 10 cents. CMS announces 2027 amounts each fall.
For most people, the penalty lasts as long as they have Part B.[4] Because it is a percentage, the dollar amount goes up whenever the standard Part B premium goes up.
The veteran who skipped Medicare to save money can end up paying more than everyone else, for life.
Three veterans at 100% disabled. Three different outcomes.
Same rating. Very different results.
He believed the myth
He thought VA covers everything and skipped Part B. When VA told him no, he had no backup. Now he pays a penalty every month.
He waited
He figured he would deal with Medicare later. Later came with a 30% penalty. He pays more than he should every month.
Ric
He enrolled during his Initial Enrollment Period. No penalty. He looked at the plans in his county, and he has choices outside the VA system when he needs them.
Which veteran are you going to be?
What to do before you turn 65
- Know your window. Your Initial Enrollment Period generally starts 3 months before the month you turn 65 and ends 3 months after it.[4] If you don’t sign up when you are first eligible, you may face a gap in coverage and a lifetime Part B penalty, unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period or another exception.
- Read VA’s page yourself. Go to VA.gov and read “VA health care and other insurance.” See it with your own eyes.[1]
- Understand how the two work together. Getting Medicare doesn’t change your eligibility for VA health care.[1] You keep your VA benefits and add options.
- Check the plans in your county. Plans, benefits and costs vary by county. Compare them at Medicare.gov/plan-compare or with a licensed agent.
Medicare for 100% disabled veterans is not about replacing what you have. It is about having somewhere else to go on the day VA says no.
If you paid Medicare taxes while you worked, you helped pay for this coverage. Look at how it can work alongside your VA benefits before you decide when to enroll.
Common questions
Do 100% disabled veterans need Medicare?
Medicare is your choice, but VA encourages veterans who have VA health care to sign up for Medicare as soon as they can. VA says Medicare gives you more options at non-VA doctors and hospitals, and that funding for VA health care could change in the future.[1]
Does Medicare change my VA health care benefits?
No. VA says having other health coverage doesn’t affect the VA health care benefits you can get. When you have both, you choose which coverage to use each time you get care.[1]
Keep learning
I wrote Medicare for Veterans: The Complete Field Guide for veterans and their families. You can read it free online.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “VA health care and other insurance.” VA.gov, last updated July 14, 2025. va.gov/resources/va-health-care-and-other-insurance
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare & You 2027 (official Medicare handbook), pages 11 and 69. medicare.gov/publications/10050-medicare-and-you.pdf
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles” (fact sheet), November 14, 2025. cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2026-medicare-parts-b-premiums-deductibles
- Medicare.gov. “Avoid late enrollment penalties.” medicare.gov/basics/costs/medicare-costs/avoid-penalties
Sources checked October 10, 2026. Dollar amounts are for 2026 unless noted.
I am not affiliated with or endorsed by Social Security, Medicare, VA, TRICARE or any government agency. Nor would I want to be. This is general education, not personal advice. I am not recommending any specific plan or telling you what to enroll in. Always review your own situation with Social Security, VA, Medicare or a professional you trust before making changes.
Christopher Duncan
Christopher founded Veterans Advantage Financial® and has helped people with Medicare since 2006. He is a licensed insurance agent in all 50 states and DC (NPN 8613503). His dad, Wallace, is a Vietnam-era veteran.