VA priority groups are a ranking system the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to determine which veterans get enrolled in VA health care first and how much they pay for services. There are eight groups, numbered 1 through 8, with Group 1 receiving the highest priority. Your assignment depends on factors like service-connected disability ratings, income, military honors, and exposure to toxic substances during service.
How Priority Groups Work
Because VA health care funding is limited, Congress requires the VA to use priority groups to manage enrollment. When resources are constrained, veterans in lower-numbered groups get enrolled before those in higher-numbered groups. In practice, most eligible veterans can currently enroll, but your group number still matters because it directly affects your copayment costs for care and medications.
The VA assigns you to the highest priority group you qualify for. You don’t choose your group. It’s determined automatically based on the information in your application and your VA records. If your circumstances change, such as receiving a higher disability rating, your group assignment can change too.
Priority Group 1
This group includes veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 50% or higher by the VA. It also covers veterans the VA has determined are unemployable due to service-connected conditions. Group 1 veterans pay no copays for any VA health care services or medications.
Priority Group 2
Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 30% to 40% fall into Group 2. Like Group 1, these veterans receive care at reduced or no cost for most services.
Priority Group 3
Group 3 covers veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 10% to 20%. It also includes veterans with special status designations: former prisoners of war, Purple Heart recipients, and those discharged for a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. Veterans awarded the Medal of Honor are also placed in this group.
Priority Group 4
This group is for veterans receiving aid and attendance benefits or housebound benefits from the VA. It also includes veterans the VA has determined to be catastrophically disabled, meaning they have a severe permanent disability that affects daily functioning in multiple areas.
Priority Group 5
Group 5 covers veterans who don’t have a service-connected disability (or have a 0% rating) and whose income falls below a VA-set threshold. It also includes veterans receiving VA pension benefits. This group essentially functions as the income-based safety net within the priority system, ensuring lower-income veterans without disability ratings still receive care with minimal copays.
Priority Group 6
Group 6 is one of the more complex categories because it covers several distinct populations. Veterans with service-connected disabilities rated 0% (meaning the VA acknowledges a condition is service-connected but assigns no compensable rating) may be placed here for care related to that condition.
This group also includes veterans exposed to toxic substances during military service. The PACT Act, signed into law in 2022, significantly expanded this category. Veterans who were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation, contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, or other hazardous materials can qualify. The VA uses the term “toxic exposure risk activity” (TERA) to describe qualifying exposures during active duty, active duty for training, or inactive duty training. Veterans who participated in Project 112/SHAD (chemical and biological testing) also fall into this group.
For Group 6 veterans, copay rules depend on whether the care is related to the qualifying condition. Treatment connected to a recognized exposure or service-connected condition carries no copay. Care unrelated to those conditions may involve standard copay rates.
Priority Group 7
Veterans with income above the VA’s low-income threshold but below a higher geographic income limit are placed in Group 7. These veterans agree to pay copays for care that isn’t related to a service-connected condition. Group 7 carries reduced inpatient copay rates compared to Group 8: $347.20 for the first 90 days of inpatient care in a 365-day period, plus $2 per day. Each additional 90-day stretch costs $173.60 plus $2 per day.
Priority Group 8
Group 8 includes veterans whose income exceeds both the VA’s low-income threshold and the geographic income limit for their area. This is the group most affected by enrollment restrictions. During periods of limited funding, the VA has historically stopped enrolling new Group 8 veterans, though those already enrolled continue to receive care.
Group 8 veterans pay the highest copay rates. Inpatient care costs $1,736 for the first 90 days in a 365-day period, plus $10 per day. Additional 90-day periods cost $868 plus $10 per day. These are substantially higher than Group 7 rates, reflecting the income-based structure of the system.
Copay Costs by Priority Group
Your priority group determines what you pay out of pocket. The differences are significant, especially for inpatient care and medications.
For outpatient visits, veterans with a service-connected disability rated 10% or higher (generally Groups 1 through 3) pay nothing. Veterans without that level of disability rating pay $15 per primary care visit, $50 per specialty care visit, and $50 for specialty tests.
Urgent care copays also vary. Groups 1 through 5 get three free urgent care visits per calendar year, with a $30 copay for each visit after that. Groups 7 and 8 pay $30 per visit from the start. Group 6 veterans pay nothing if the visit is related to a covered condition, or $30 per visit otherwise.
Medication copays follow a tiered structure. Group 1 veterans pay nothing for any prescriptions. Groups 2 through 8 pay based on the medication tier: $5 for a 30-day supply of preferred generics, $8 for non-preferred generics, and $11 for brand-name drugs. A 90-day supply triples those amounts to $15, $24, and $33 respectively. Some medications, classified as Tier 0, carry no copay regardless of group. There is an annual cap of $700 on medication copays. Once you hit that amount in a calendar year, you pay nothing more for the rest of that year.
How Your Group Gets Assigned
When you apply for VA health care, the VA reviews your military service records, disability ratings, income information, and any special circumstances like combat service or toxic exposures. You’re placed in the lowest-numbered (highest priority) group you qualify for. A veteran with a 30% disability rating and a history of burn pit exposure, for example, would be assigned to Group 2 based on the disability rating, since that’s a higher priority than the Group 6 toxic exposure category.
Your group can change over time. Filing a new disability claim and receiving a higher rating moves you up. Changes in income can shift you between Groups 5, 7, and 8. The VA conducts income verification annually using information from the IRS and Social Security Administration, so your group may adjust even without action on your part. If you believe you’re in the wrong group, you can contact the VA enrollment center or update your financial information through VA.gov to request a reassessment.