VA health care enrollment and TERA screening

Even if you don’t currently need medical care, enroll in VA health care. Enrollment costs nothing for any veteran with a qualifying discharge, and as of March 2024 the PACT Act phase-in for toxic-exposed veterans has been eliminated — anyone with qualifying exposure can enroll immediately.

Why enroll now

• Building the medical record. Every VA appointment creates documentation that may support future claims.
• TERA screening. Toxic Exposure Risk Activity screening is now automatic at enrollment, with re-screening at least every 5 years. TERA documentation can be critical for non-presumptive toxic exposure claims — see TERA.
• VA medical records often satisfy element #1 of the Caluza test (current diagnosis) without requiring additional civilian records.
• Service-connected veterans get copay-free care for service-connected conditions; 50%+ rated veterans get copay-free care for ALL conditions.

Pro tip

When you enroll, request the TERA screening explicitly even if VA does not ask. Have your deployments, MOS, and any known exposures ready. The TERA documentation lives in your VA medical record and is automatically considered when you later file claims.

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