Eligibility

• Eligibility for VA hospital benefits is based almost solely on active military service. Any veteran who completed active service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard or World War II Merchant Marines can be eligible for benefits, as long as he was not dishonorably discharged.
  
  Members of the National Guard or the Reserves who were called to active duty can also qualify for the benefits for up to five years from discharge. Health care is not limited to soldiers who saw combat but is available to all who served in the forces actively.
  
  Certain foreign veterans, including veterans of allied countries during World War II, can also qualify for VA benefits. Similarly, some civilians who participated in military defenses or assistance--ferry pilots and merchant seamen--may be eligible for benefits.
  
  

Basic Services

• The VA provides health care to most veterans for service-connected injuries, but also for other medical conditions.
  
  The VA can provide both inpatient and outpatient medical assistance for its hospitals. These can include surgical or medical treatment, regardless of where the veteran is treated as an outpatient or is admitted to the VA hospital.
  
  The VA provides emergency treatment in VA hospitals, and may cover emergency care in non-VA hospitals under certain circumstances. Most notably, if a veteran is being treated for a service-connected disability, his treatment will be covered. VA benefits can also help veterans who have no other way of paying a non-VA emergency bill in certain situations.
  
  The VA can also provide for prescription drugs and medical supplies required for its veterans. This may include prosthetics, hearing aids and glasses, among other equipment.
  
  The VA also provides preventative care, including immunizations, medical assessments and screening tests.
  
  

Limitations

• There are a number of medical-related services that the VA cannot perform. These include abortions or abortion counseling, cosmetic surgery--unless it is medically necessary for reconstruction--drugs not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and health club memberships. The VA cannot always provide services to those who have other forms of health treatment or who are fugitive felons.
  
  

Women's Services

• Since World War II, the number of women veterans has been growing. Now, each VA hospital or medical center features a women veterans program manager who is assigned to help women veterans with gender-specific services.
  
  Some of these services include reproductive services--gynecological information, pregnancy treatments and deliveries--and rehabilitation. Women can also receive treatment for any sexual trauma they experienced while serving in the military.
  
  

Mental Health

• VA hospitals treat mental maladies as well as physical ones. All VA hospitals, medical centers and clinics provide inpatient and outpatient mental health assistance, including counselors who help veterans readjust to civilian life.
  
  Services focus on post-traumatic stress disorder, substance-abuse treatment, bereavement counseling and suicide prevention.