Veterans · Enrollment
CHAMPVA is not TRICARE. The family applies on VA.gov.
If the sponsor still has TRICARE, the family is usually on TRICARE. CHAMPVA is a different door for certain survivors and families of veterans who are permanently and totally disabled.
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Sign Up One Stop Shop · 2026-09-21
Two programs. Two logins. Do not mash them.
TRICARE is Defense Health. The sponsor’s DEERS record is the switch. Active duty, Selected Reserve with TRS, retirees, TAMP — those families stay in milConnect and Beneficiary Web Enrollment. CHAMPVA is VA health coverage for certain spouses, children, and survivors. You cannot hold both. If TRICARE is still on the table, CHAMPVA usually is not.
A commercial roundup that puts both names in one headline is a map, not a form. The family does not enroll because a blog compared copays. They enroll because VA.gov says they qualify, and they submit VA Form 10-10d.
How the family actually applies
Read the live eligibility page first. Typical path: the veteran is permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition, or died of one, or died in the line of duty — and the family member is not eligible for TRICARE. Confirm that sentence on VA.gov; I do not adjudicate it.
Apply online from the CHAMPVA page, or mail/fax 10-10d. Other health insurance uses VA Form 10-7959c. Login.gov or ID.me if you apply on the site. No fee. The sponsor’s milConnect login is not the family’s CHAMPVA application.
How to sign up
01
Name the program
Still TRICARE-eligible? milConnect. Not eligible, and the veteran meets the VA test? Read CHAMPVA.
02
Read VA.gov
https://www.va.gov/family-and-caregiver-benefits/health-and-disability/champva/
03
Apply 10-10d
Online if you can. Mail or fax if you must. No fee.
Written from VA.gov CHAMPVA. Always confirm on the official page before you enroll.