How to Apply for VA Healthcare with form 10-10EZ

VA Form 10-10EZ is the Application for Health Benefits that veterans use to enroll in VA healthcare. You must be enrolled to get care at VA facilities or to have VA cover care from an approved community provider. You can complete the application online or by phone, or physically give it to the VA by mail or in person.
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Enrolling in VA health care starts with a single application—VA Form 10-10EZ. This form asks for your service history, your Social Security number, and any insurance plans you carry. Attaching your DD-214 discharge form can speed up the processing of your 10-10EZ.

If you have insurance or Medicare, a Solace advocate can help you get the application in and follow up with VA if there’s a delay. Solace advocates are experienced healthcare professionals who work with patients personally.

What Is VA Form 10-10EZ?

The 10-10EZ is the first step for veterans who are not yet enrolled. Enrolling does not stop you from keeping other coverage, such as Medicare or employer insurance.

Which VA Health Care Form Do You Need?

The official form and instructions are on VA's 10-10EZ page.

Who Can Apply for VA Health Care

Basic Eligibility: Service, Discharge, and Length of Service

• You served in the active military, naval, or air service and did not receive a dishonorable discharge.
• If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, or entered active duty after October 16, 1981, you generally need 24 continuous months of service or the full period you were called to active duty.
• Exceptions include a discharge for a disability caused or made worse by your service, a hardship discharge, and an "early out." VA lists them on its eligibility page.
• You do not need a VA disability rating to apply.

National Guard and Reserve: When Your Service Counts

• Guard and Reserve members generally qualify if a federal order called them to active duty and they completed the full period of that call-up.
• Active-duty status for training only, such as drill weekends and annual training, does not meet the requirement on its own.
• A DD-214 from a federal activation typically documents qualifying service, while an NGB-22 alone generally reflects state-status service. See the document every veteran needs before applying for VA benefits (DD-214 / NGB-22).
• A service-connected disability rating is a separate route to VA health care, and VA decides it under different rules than the federal call-up test above. If you suspect a condition is service-connected, Solace advocates encourage and refer veterans to accredited veterans service organizations (VSOs), such as DAV or the American Legion.

Enhanced Eligibility: Combat Service, Toxic Exposure, and Disability Ratings

Enhanced eligibility means you meet the basic requirements and fit a category that can place you in a higher priority group. VA lists these:

• You receive VA disability compensation.
• You were discharged for a disability caused or made worse by your service.
• You are a combat veteran, which can bring 10 years of enhanced eligibility from your discharge date.
• You were exposed to toxins or hazards under the PACT Act, a 2022 law that expanded VA health care. VA offers every enrolled veteran a toxic exposure screening.
• You served at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987.

None of these categories is required to apply.

What to Gather Before You Start

The 10-10EZ form asks for several documents and details, so collect them first.

• Social Security numbers for you, your spouse, and your qualified dependents.
• Your discharge papers (a DD-214 or other separation documents), your service history, and details about any toxin or hazard exposure. Our DD-214 and NGB-22 guide shows how to request a copy.
• Insurance card information for each plan that covers you, including Medicare and any coverage through your spouse or employer.
• Your gross household income from the previous calendar year and your deductible expenses, which are optional.

Guard members who hold only an NGB-22 should also bring any federal activation orders.

How to Apply for VA Healthcare

You can submit for 10-10EZ in any of these four ways.

Apply Online

• Apply on VA.gov instead of printing and mailing the paper form.
• VA estimates the form takes about 30 minutes to complete.
• Keep your discharge papers and insurance cards nearby.

Apply by Phone

• Call 877-222-8387, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
• A VA representative can help you fill out the form over the phone.
• Have your checklist items in front of you when you call.

Apply by Mail

• Mail the original to the Health Eligibility Center, PO Box 5207, Janesville, WI 53547-5207.
• You or a person acting under a power of attorney must sign and date the form, and a copy of the power of attorney document goes with it. If you sign with an "X," two people you know must witness it, sign the form, and print their names.
• Attaching a copy of your DD-214 or other discharge papers is optional, but it can speed up processing.

Apply in Person

• Visit any VA medical center or clinic and ask for the enrollment coordinator.
• The coordinator can help you complete the form and answer questions.
• Bring your discharge papers and insurance cards.

Waiting to hear back? If more than a week passes after you apply and VA has not contacted you, do not apply again. Call the hotline at 877-222-8387. Your state Department of Veterans Affairs or an accredited veterans service organization (VSO) can also help you apply for free.

What the Form Asks For

• Personal information, such as your name, contact details, and Social Security number.
• Your military service history, which comes from the most recent copy of your DD-21, NGB-22, or other separation documents.
• Insurance information for each plan that covers you, including Medicare.
• Household financial information, which is optional.
• Your consent to pay applicable VA copays and to receive VA communications, plus your signature.

VA states that veterans are not required to disclose financial information. Veterans who choose not to may not be eligible for enrollment, or may owe applicable copays if they enroll.

What Happens After You Apply

• VA verifies your service, reviews your financial information if you provided it, and assigns you to a priority group. This is typically decided in about a week.
• If VA approves your application, VA calls to welcome you and help schedule your first primary care appointment, and mails a handbook that explains your benefits and copays.
• After the welcome call, you can request a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC), the ID you use to check in at VA appointments, online or at a VA medical center.
• If VA does not approve your application, VA sends a letter explaining the reason or reasons. You have the right to appeal by requesting a decision review, and the letter explains how. You can also apply again with new evidence, such as a corrected DD-214.

Your Priority Group, Explained

• VA assigns you to one of eight priority groups, and Group 1 is the highest.
• If you qualify for more than one group, VA places you in the highest one.
• Your group can affect the copays you owe.

VA publishes the priority group descriptions and current copay rates on VA.gov.

Common Mistakes Veterans Make With the 10-10EZ

• Applying again after a week of silence instead of calling the hotline.
• Leaving Medicare or other insurance off the form.
• Assuming a disability rating or a low income is required to apply.
• Assuming drill-weekend service qualifies on its own for Guard and Reserve members.
• Waiting to enroll until care is needed, even though enhanced-eligibility windows run from your discharge date.
• Confusing VA health care enrollment with a disability claim, which is a separate application.
• Using the 10-10EZ when the 10-10EZR is the right form for an update.

None of these mistakes is the veteran's fault. Several forms, rules, and documents sit behind one application, and the connections are easy to miss.

How VA Health Care Fits With Your Other Benefits

• VA health care and VA disability compensation are separate applications. Enrolling in one does not start the other, and you do not need one to apply for the other. Our VA disability claim guide walks through this in detail.
• VA health care can work alongside Medicare or other insurance, or serve as your main coverage if you have no other plan. If you have Medicare or will qualify soon, our guide to how VA and Medicare work together explains how to use them side by side.
• VA asks for your insurance details because it may bill your plan for care unrelated to your military service.
• Family members and dependents may qualify for coverage through CHAMPVA, a separate VA program for the spouses and children of veterans rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected disability, and for certain survivors. Your own VA health care enrollment does not cover them automatically.

How Solace Can Help

Solace advocates make the calls and follow up until you’re approved. Your advocate works alongside the VA and accredited VSOs, and Solace does not file VA claims. In a 2023 report, 92% of patients reported a positive impact on their care from working with an advocate.*

If you have insurance or Medicare: a Solace advocate can help with the parts of the form that take the most time.

• Pulling together the documents and insurance details the form asks for.
• Working out which service record applies, such as a DD-214 or an NGB-22.
• Following up with VA if a decision runs late.
• Referring you to an accredited VSO, such as DAV or the American Legion, if a condition may be service-connected.

Only VA decides whether to approve an application. Solace is covered by insurance, and your cost depends on your plan and deductible. Learn what a patient advocate does, how to get a patient advocate, or how a patient advocate can help you.

If you do not have other coverage yet: Solace advocacy is billed through insurance, so it is not available until qualifying coverage is in place. The VA hotline at 877-222-8387, a local VA enrollment coordinator, or an accredited VSO representative can help with the 10-10EZ at no cost.

*Based on a 2023 report by the Coalition of Health Care Advocacy Organizations

FAQ

What is VA Form 10-10EZ used for?

VA Form 10-10EZ is the Application for Health Benefits that veterans use to enroll in VA health care. Enrollment is required to get care at VA facilities or to have VA cover care from an approved community provider. Veterans can submit the application online, by phone, by mail, or in person.

Who is eligible for VA health care?

Most veterans qualify if they served in the active military, naval, or air service and did not receive a dishonorable discharge. Many also need 24 continuous months of service or the full period they were called to active duty, with exceptions such as a service-related disability discharge or a hardship discharge. National Guard and Reserve members generally qualify only if a federal order called them to active duty and they completed that period.

What are the income limits for VA Form 10-10EZ?

VA does not use one flat income cutoff. It compares gross household income from the previous calendar year to annual income limits adjusted by ZIP code. Reporting income is optional, but choosing not to may affect enrollment or copays. VA publishes the current limits on VA.gov.

Where do I send VA Form 10-10EZ?

Veterans can apply online at VA.gov, call 877-222-8387, or apply in person at any VA medical center or clinic. Signed paper forms go to the Health Eligibility Center, PO Box 5207, Janesville, WI 53547-5207. If more than a week passes without a response, VA asks veterans not to apply again and to call the hotline instead.

What is the difference between the 10-10EZ and the 10-10EZR?

The 10-10EZ is the application veterans use to enroll in VA health care for the first time. The 10-10EZR is the update form for veterans who are already enrolled and need to change personal, insurance, financial, or military service information. VA offers the update process online through VA.gov, though military service history updates currently use the PDF version of the form.

Why are some veterans not eligible for VA health care?

Common reasons include a dishonorable discharge, not meeting the minimum service requirement without a qualifying exception, or Guard or Reserve service that was training-only rather than federally ordered active duty. Income can also affect eligibility for veterans with no service-connected disability and no other qualifying category. VA sends a written decision with the reason, and veterans can request a decision review or apply again with new evidence.

Applying for VA health care takes one form and a few documents, plus time while VA reviews your service. If you have insurance or Medicare, a Solace advocate can gather the details the form asks for, work out which service record applies, and follow up with the VA if a decision runs late. You work with one advocate, an experienced healthcare professional who makes the calls. Solace is covered by insurance. Check your eligibility.

See If You Qualify →

Eligibility varies by plan. Advocates do not provide medical or legal advice or services. Must be 18 years or older.

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