Title 38, Veterans' BenefitsRelease 119-110
§1730A Prohibition on Collection of Copayments From Certain Veterans
Title 38 › PART II — GENERAL BENEFITS › CHAPTER 17 — HOSPITAL, NURSING HOME, DOMICILIARY, AND MEDICAL CARE › SUBCHAPTER III — MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO HOSPITAL AND NURSING HOME CARE AND MEDICAL TREATMENT OF VETERANS › § 1730A
Summary
The VA cannot make covered veterans pay any copayment for hospital care or medical services it provides. A covered veteran is a veteran the Secretary calls catastrophically disabled, or a veteran who is an Indian or an urban Indian (see Indian Health Care Improvement Act, section 4).
Full Legal Text
Title 38, §1730A
Veterans' Benefits, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Prohibition.—
Notwithstanding subsections (f) and (g) of section 1710 and section 1722A(a) of this title or any other provision of law, the Secretary may not require a covered veteran to make any copayment for the receipt of hospital care or medical services under the laws administered by the Secretary.
(b)Covered Veteran Defined.—
In this section, the term “covered veteran” means a veteran who—
(1)is catastrophically disabled, as defined by the Secretary; or
(2)is an Indian or urban Indian (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)).
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2021—Pub. L. 116–315 substituted “certain” for “catastrophically disabled” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and inserted heading, substituted “a covered veteran” for “a veteran who is catastrophically disabled, as defined by the Secretary,”, and added subsec. (b).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2021 Amendment Pub. L. 116–315, title III, § 3002(c), Jan. 5, 2021, 134 Stat. 4991, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this section [amending this section] shall take effect on the day that is one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 5, 2021].”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
38 U.S.C. § 1730A
Title 38, Veterans' Benefits
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110