People often ask “do I need Medicare if I have VA benefits?”
If you have coverage through the Veterans Administration, or the VA, you don’t have to enroll in Medicare. However, the Veterans Administration strongly recommends that you do.
The VA coverage isn’t the same for everyone. The VA assigns enrollees different priority level based on income and based on whether the services received are due to military service. Also, having both VA benefits and Medicare greatly widens medical coverage.
Not all your services outside the VA are going to be covered by the Veterans Administration. If you have an emergency service and you can’t make it to the VA you could be responsible for the entire amount of those costs.
Also, at some point you may lose your VA coverage. If you haven’t already signed up for Part A and Part B of Medicare you could be subject to penalties if you don’t enroll in Medicare when you’re first eligible.
It is a good idea even if you’re going to the VA to enroll in A and B of Medicare for that extra cushion that many people need.