Question:

I am a Vietnam veteran and have been denied VA health care benefits for excessive income. I thought we were not required to meet the income test.

Jim's Reply:

I'm going to assume that you applied for VA health care some time after 2006-2007. 
 

Prior to that time all honorably discharged veterans were entitled to free or very low cost health care. Anyone with a DD 214 could walk in, register and get care. The wars of the period brought home many new veterans who were in immediate need of care and overwhelmed the VA system. Rules were changed during the 2006-2007 period and different tiers of care, time periods for care and other eligibility factors came into play. POWs, Purple heart and MOH recipients and some others get varying levels of care at no cost.
 

If you weren't previously registered for VA health care, you now must have certain qualifying conditions to get in the door. You need a service connected disability rating or you must be a recently returning soldier who will be given free care for a given time period post separation...2 to 5 years as a rule.
 

The other category that may be eligible for VA care is the indigent veteran who has non-service connected conditions and is of a certain age group. This is the VA pension benefit and it comes with a stipend and free health care from VA. I'll assume you were means tested for the benefit and your relatively high income excluded you.
 

This isn't an unusual problem for veterans who may be retiring or aging and losing their health insurance. Many veterans will find a disability to file for just for the sake of getting in the door to low cost health care.
 

Good luck.