If you or the veteran you love is living with a serious illness, palliative care can ease the symptoms and the stress without asking anyone to give up on treatment. The question families ask us is a simple one: does the VA cover it? For enrolled veterans who have a clinical need for it, the answer is yes. This guide explains what VA palliative care is, who qualifies, what it means for your costs, and exactly how to ask for it.

In This Guide

What Palliative Care Is, and How It Differs From Hospice

Palliative care is care focused on improving quality of life for someone living with a serious illness, and for the people caring for them. It treats the pain, the breathlessness, the nausea, the exhaustion, and the worry that come with illness, so daily life is more bearable. It can be provided at any point, from diagnosis onward, and here is the part that surprises people: you can keep receiving treatment aimed at curing or controlling the illness at the same time. You do not have to choose between fighting the illness and feeling better.

That is what sets it apart from hospice. Hospice care is a form of palliative care for people near the end of life: in hospice, attempts to cure the illness are stopped, and it is for a person whose doctor believes they have six months or less to live if the illness runs its natural course. Even in hospice, stopping treatment aimed at a cure does not mean stopping all care: other medical care may continue as long as it is helpful. Palliative care asks for neither of those things. It is available to anyone living with a serious illness, at any age and any stage of the disease, not only at the end of life.

Does the VA Cover Palliative Care?

Yes. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides palliative care to eligible veterans as part of standard VA medical care. VA says that because palliative care is part of its Standard Medical Benefits Package, every enrolled veteran is eligible for it if they meet the clinical need for the service.

The VA's approach matches the definition above. VA palliative care can be combined with treatment aimed at curing or controlling the illness, and it can be started at the time of diagnosis and continued throughout the course of the illness. A veteran does not have to be dying, and does not have to give up on treatment, to receive it. If a serious diagnosis has just landed, this is care you can ask about right away.

Who Delivers It: The Palliative Care Team

Palliative care is not one doctor working alone. It is delivered by an interdisciplinary team, typically physicians and nurses along with others such as social workers, chaplains, and dietitians, who work together with the patient, the family, and the patient's other doctors. For a veteran and the family beside them, that means the medical symptoms, the emotional and spiritual weight, the practical questions, and the coordination with the rest of the care team are all somebody's job, not yours alone to carry. VA describes its own palliative care teams the same way, with a focus that includes family coping, emotional or spiritual distress, and access to needed resources.

What VA Palliative Care Means for Your Costs

VA palliative care is part of the veteran's standard VA medical benefits, not a separate program, and VA says copays may be charged for it. So it is not automatically free, and what a particular veteran owes can differ from one veteran to the next.

The reliable move is to confirm your own situation directly. Ask your VA team, or call the VA, what the veteran's palliative care will cost before you assume anything. The palliative care team can help here too: palliative care specialists can assist with financial worries and insurance questions, not just symptoms. If the veteran also has Medicare, that is a second door worth understanding, covered below.

How to Get VA Palliative Care

You do not need a special application or enrollment window. The step is to ask. Tell the veteran's VA primary care provider, or a VA social worker, that you want palliative care, and ask for a referral. Describe what is hardest right now, whether that is pain, fatigue, trouble managing multiple conditions, or simply the stress of a serious diagnosis, so the team can shape the care around it.

If you are not sure who to call first, the VA social worker at the veteran's VA facility is a good starting point, because coordinating this kind of support is exactly what they do. And if cost is your worry, raise it in that same conversation rather than letting it stop you from asking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the VA cover palliative care?

Yes. For enrolled veterans who have a clinical need for it, the VA provides palliative care as part of standard VA medical care, and VA says copays may be charged. It is meant for veterans living with a serious illness and can begin at diagnosis.

Is VA palliative care the same as hospice?

No. Hospice is the end-of-life form of palliative care, for someone who has stopped treatment aimed at a cure and whose doctor expects six months or less. Palliative care can start at any stage and does not require giving up treatment.

Do I have to stop treatment to get VA palliative care?

No. VA palliative care can be combined with treatment aimed at curing or controlling the illness, and can be started at diagnosis and continued throughout. You get symptom relief and support while still pursuing treatment.

Who is on the VA palliative care team?

An interdisciplinary team, typically physicians and nurses plus others such as social workers, chaplains, and dietitians, working with you, your family, and your other doctors.

How do I get VA palliative care?

Ask the veteran's VA primary care provider or a VA social worker for a palliative care referral, and describe the symptoms and stresses you most need help with. There is no separate enrollment window.

What if the veteran also has Medicare?

Many veterans do. Being eligible for palliative care is not the same as having it paid for: Medicare pays for only some kinds of palliative care, with Part B paying for some medical services that address symptom management. So it is worth understanding your Medicare coverage too. See our guides to Medicare palliative care coverage and palliative care versus hospice under Medicare.

Learn More

MedicareMedicare Palliative Care Coverage: What You PayYes, Medicare covers palliative care, but there's no single palliative-care benefit. Here's exactly how Part A, B, and D pay for it and what you'll owe. MedicarePalliative Care vs. Hospice Under MedicarePalliative care and hospice aren't the same. Here's the real difference in plain terms, the Medicare cost gap, and how to know which your parent needs. MedicareHow to Get Palliative CarePalliative care for a parent starts with one step: ask the treating doctor for a referral. Here's how to get it, where to find a program, and what to expect. VA BenefitsDoes the VA Cover Hospice Care? What Families of Veterans Need to KnowDoes the VA cover hospice care? Yes: an enrolled veteran who meets the clinical need can get VA hospice with no copay, at home or inpatient. How to ask for it.
Your next step Want help arranging palliative care for a veteran and understanding what it will cost? Brevy's care navigator can walk you through the VA steps and your options.

Find personalized help arranging VA palliative care for a veteran at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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