Filing a CHAMPVA claim (VA Form 10-7959a)
Educational information only, not medical, legal, or insurance advice. Confirm with CHAMPVA and your provider. Last checked against VA sources: October 9, 2026.
Most of the time your provider files the claim for you and CHAMPVA pays the provider directly. You file your own claim when you paid out of pocket, for example at a provider who doesn’t accept CHAMPVA or a pharmacy outside the OptumRx network.
The deadline
File within 1 year of the date of care. For a hospital stay, it’s 1 year from the date you were discharged.
Before you file: direct deposit
VA requires direct deposit to pay you back. Family members set it up through the VA Financial Services Center’s Customer Engagement Portal (VA’s claim page links to the instructions).
How to file
- Online through VA.gov (new claims and updates to existing claims).
- By mail with VA Form 10-7959a to: VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care, CHAMPVA Claims, PO Box 500, Spring City, PA 19475. VA scans only one side of each page, so copy the backs of any two-sided documents.
Document checklist
- Proof you paid: a receipt or a bill marked “paid.”
- An itemized bill (sometimes called a superbill, CMS-1500, HCFA, or UB-04), showing: your full name and date of birth; the provider’s full name, title, and tax ID; the service address; each charge with its date and quantity; diagnosis (ICD-10) codes; and procedure (CPT or HCPCS) codes. A regular statement usually isn’t enough, so ask for “itemized.”
- If you have other insurance: that plan’s Explanation of Benefits (EOB) showing what it paid, with matching dates of service.
- For prescriptions: a pharmacy printout with the pharmacy’s contact info, drug name, strength, quantity, cost, 11-digit NDC, fill date, and prescriber.
After you file
VA says processing takes about 90 days. You’ll get an EOB. If VA asks for more information, you have 1 year from that letter to respond. If you disagree with a decision, you can request a decision review; see VA’s claim page for current options.