VA Priority Group 3 is the third-highest tier in the VA’s eight-level system for enrolling veterans in health care. It covers veterans with a 10% or 20% service-connected disability rating, Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, and a few other specific categories. Being in Group 3 means you have strong enrollment priority and, depending on how you qualified, may owe little or nothing in copays for your care.
Who Qualifies for Priority Group 3
The VA will assign you to Priority Group 3 if any one of the following applies to you:
- Service-connected disability rated 10% or 20%. This is the most common path into Group 3. If the VA has evaluated a condition tied to your military service and assigned it a combined rating of 10% or 20%, you land here.
- Purple Heart recipient. Any veteran awarded the Purple Heart qualifies regardless of disability rating.
- Former prisoner of war. POW status alone is enough for Group 3 placement.
- Discharged for a service-caused or service-aggravated disability. If you were separated from active duty specifically because of a disability that started or worsened during service, you qualify even without a formal VA disability percentage.
- Special eligibility under 38 U.S.C. ยง 1151. This covers veterans who were disabled as a result of VA medical treatment or vocational rehabilitation.
You only need to meet one of those criteria. If you qualify under more than one, the VA still places you in a single group.
Where Group 3 Sits in the Priority System
The VA uses eight priority groups to decide who gets enrolled first when resources are limited. Group 1 is reserved for veterans with the highest service-connected disability ratings (50% or more), and Group 2 covers ratings of 30% or 40%. Group 3 comes next, ahead of Groups 4 through 8, which include veterans with lower incomes, no service-connected conditions, or higher financial means.
In practical terms, being in Group 3 means your enrollment is essentially guaranteed. The VA has never had to restrict enrollment for Groups 1 through 5. Groups 7 and 8, by contrast, have historically been subject to enrollment freezes during periods of high demand. Your spot in Group 3 is secure.
What You’ll Pay for Care
Your copay costs in Group 3 depend on why you’re in the group and what condition you’re being treated for.
If you have a service-connected disability rating of 10% or higher, you won’t pay any copay for outpatient visits or inpatient hospital stays. That applies to all your care at VA facilities, not just treatment for your rated condition.
If you qualified for Group 3 through a different path (for example, as a former POW or Purple Heart recipient without a rated disability), you may owe copays for care that isn’t related to your military service. The 2026 outpatient rates are:
- Primary care visit: $15
- Specialty care visit: $50
- Specialty tests (MRI, CT scan, etc.): $50
Any treatment for a service-connected condition is always copay-free, regardless of which qualifying criterion placed you in the group.
Travel Reimbursement Eligibility
Travel pay is a separate benefit, and being in Priority Group 3 doesn’t automatically qualify you. The VA’s Beneficiary Travel program reimburses mileage and certain expenses for getting to and from appointments, but the eligibility rules are based on disability rating and income rather than priority group.
You qualify for travel reimbursement if your disability rating is 30% or higher. Since Group 3 covers ratings of 10% and 20%, most Group 3 veterans won’t meet that threshold. However, you can still get reimbursed if you’re traveling specifically for treatment of a service-connected condition, if you receive a VA pension, if your income falls below the VA pension rate, or if you can demonstrate financial hardship. You’re also covered for scheduled claim exams regardless of rating. Keep receipts and track your mileage for every appointment, since you’ll need that documentation to file a claim.
How Group 3 Differs From Groups 1 and 2
The practical differences between Groups 1, 2, and 3 are relatively narrow. All three groups have guaranteed enrollment and copay-free care for service-connected conditions. The main distinctions come down to disability rating and a few financial thresholds.
Veterans in Group 1 (50% or higher rating) and Group 2 (30% or 40% rating) automatically qualify for travel reimbursement, which most Group 3 veterans do not. Groups 1 and 2 also receive higher monthly disability compensation payments, since those payments scale with the rating percentage. But in terms of day-to-day health care access at VA facilities, a Group 3 veteran with a 10% rating receives the same medical services, the same providers, and the same appointment scheduling as a veteran in Group 1. Priority group affects enrollment order and cost sharing, not the quality or scope of care.
Checking and Changing Your Group
Your priority group is listed on your VA health care enrollment confirmation and is visible when you sign into VA.gov. If you believe you’ve been placed in the wrong group, or if your circumstances have changed (for instance, your disability rating increased after a new claim), the VA can reassign you. A higher disability rating would move you into Group 2 or Group 1, which carries additional benefits like automatic travel pay eligibility.
If you were placed in a lower group because the VA didn’t have records of your Purple Heart or POW status, you can submit documentation to have your group updated. Changes to your priority group take effect once the VA processes the update, and they can apply retroactively to copays you may have overpaid.