Plenty of veterans in this day and age can receive benefits from numerous sources. What they do not know is that when receiving health care from the Veterans Affairs office, they should also set up Medicare. Can veterans have both Medicare and veterans benefits? Yes, a person can use both health services because they do not work together. Fortunately, a veteran can benefit from the services being separate from one another.
When a veteran uses the health benefits provided by the Veterans Affairs, they go to a V.A. hospital or clinic. In some rare cases, they are allowed to receive treatment elsewhere. When they receive treatments from the V.A. facility, Medicare will not pay for any of the treatments. However, the Veterans Affairs does not guarantee health benefits to all veterans, leaving the chance of not having any coverage. Also, it is not a guarantee there will be a V.A. facility nearby. Veterans will benefit better from having Medicare for situations that the Veterans Affairs cannot cover.
Medicare does not necessarily cover all prescription drugs. Some of the prescriptions not covered by Medicare are benzodiazepines and barbiturates. When this happens, people use their V.A. benefits to cover them. It is recommended to use the veteran’s health insurance for prescription drugs. People receive V.A. benefits first, Medicare benefits second. This may seem like a downfall to getting Medicare, but in the long run it is not. If a veteran became injured in an accident, with no Medicare, and had no V.A. facility close by, then he or she would have to go to a regular hospital. If they have Medicare they are fine. If not, they pay the medical fees out of pocket.