Other health insurance and Medicare (VA Form 10-7959c)
Educational information only, not medical, legal, or insurance advice. Confirm with CHAMPVA and your provider. Last checked against VA sources: October 9, 2026.
If you have any other health insurance (OHI), including Medicare or an employer plan, that plan usually pays first and CHAMPVA pays second.
CHAMPVA pays first only ahead of a few programs: Medicaid, state victims-of-crime compensation programs, the Indian Health Service, and CHAMPVA supplemental policies.
Why keeping OHI current matters
CHAMPVA checks OHI on every claim. VA says it will stop paying and deny claims if you or your provider stop sending OHI information, or if you report new coverage without the details. If VA learns about OHI after paying a claim, it reprocesses the claim and may ask for money back.
How to update OHI
Send VA Form 10-7959c plus copies of the front and back of each insurance card (and your Medicare Part D card if you have one):
- Online through VA.gov, uploading card images, or
- By mail to the address printed on the current form.
Medicare basics
- If you’re eligible for Medicare, you must have Part A and Part B (or Medicare Advantage) to keep CHAMPVA.
- Part D is not required. If you have Part D, you can’t use Meds by Mail.
- At 65, you’ll need to show Medicare proof, or a Social Security “notice of disallowance” if you aren’t eligible.
- CHAMPVA may cover some of your Part B deductible but not Part B premiums.