• Limited nursing home care
• Limited domiciliary care
• Limited non-VA hospitalization or health care services for veterans with special eligibility
• Limited dental care
• Readjustment counseling
• Homeless programs
• Sexual trauma counseling

Some veterans are exempted from having to enroll, although all veterans are encouraged to enroll to help VA plan its health care needs and provide better preventive and primary services. Veterans who do not have to enroll include: veterans with a service-connected disability of 50 percent or more, veterans who were discharged from the military within one year but have not yet been rated for a VA disability benefit and veterans seeking care for only a service-connected disability.

Priority Groups
More than six million veterans are enrolled in the VA health care system as of October 2001. When they enroll, they are placed in priority groups or categories to help VA manage health care services within budgetary constraints and to provide quality care to those enrolled. There are seven enrollment priorities of veterans, with Priority 1 being the highest. Priority 7 veterans are those who have no service-connected disabilities or have a disability that is officially rated as "noncompensable zero percent service-connected," and whose incomes are above the established thresholds. Priority 7 veterans must agree to make copayments for medical care and medicines.

Cost to the Enrolling Veteran
By applying for enrollment, a veteran does not give up his or her right to use other sources of care nor does the veteran have to pay any premium to VA. However, as it has for years, VA charges copayments when a higher-income veteran's treatment for illnesses is not related to military service.

For 2002, the higher-income veteran treated for a non-service-connected disability pays $7 for each prescription for a 30-day supply. Outpatient copayments are determined by a three-tier copayment system. The first tier will be for preventive care visits and will cost veterans nothing. This care includes flu shots, laboratory tests, certain radiology services, hepatitis C screenings and numerous other preventive services. Primary care outpatient visits comprise the second tier and will require a copayment of $15. The last tier includes specialty outpatient care, like outpatient surgery, audiology and optometry and will cost $50.

Veterans pay $792 for each 90 days of inpatient care. In addition to this, there is a $10 a day per diem charge. For each subsequent 90 days of care in the same fiscal year, the charge is half the cost of the first 90 days.

Veterans may or may not have a private insurance policy, but this does not affect their eligibility for VA care or their copayment requirements. While VA may bill the insurer for certain care costs above any deductible, this does not impact the veteran's health care.