Federal Programs
Tricare is the health care program serving Uniformed Service members, retirees, and their families worldwide.
The Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) is a comprehensive health care program in which the VA shares the cost of covered health care services and supplies with eligible beneficiaries. The program is administered by Health Administration Center and our offices are located in Denver, Colorado.
Due to the similarity between CHAMPVA and the Department of Defense (DoD) TRICARE program (sometimes referred to by its old name, CHAMPUS) the two are often mistaken for each other. CHAMPVA is a Department of Veterans Affairs program whereas TRICARE is a regionally managed health care program for active duty and retired members of the uniformed services, their families, and survivors. In some cases, a veterans may look to be eligible for both/program on paper. However, if you are a military retiree, or the spouse of a veteran who was killed in action, you are and will always be a TRICARE beneficiary, you can't choose between the two.
Veterans who are enrolled in a VA facility, registered on My HealtheVet and complete the one-time In-Person Authentication process, can:
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refill their VA prescriptions online by viewing their Rx medication names (not just the Rx numbers)
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get VA Wellness Reminders
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when available, participate in Secure Messaging with your health care team
...all available 24/7, where ever there is Internet access
