Editorial policy
Educational information only, not medical, legal, or insurance advice. Confirm with CHAMPVA and your provider. Last verified against VA.gov: October 17, 2026. Changelog
This page explains how AskCHAMPVA pages are made, so you can judge how much to rely on them. Pages are written by the AskChampVA editorial team.
The sources we use
We base every factual statement on official government sources, in roughly this order:
- Federal regulations: the CHAMPVA rules in 38 CFR 17.270–17.278 on the electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
- The CHAMPVA Guidebook, VA’s handbook for beneficiaries.
- VA.gov pages and VA forms (for example, VA Form 10-10d, 10-7959a, and 10-7959c).
- Other official .gov sources where CHAMPVA connects to another program, such as Medicare.gov, the Social Security Administration, the IRS, and CMS public data for our provider finder.
When sources disagree or are unclear, we say so on the page and tell you to confirm with CHAMPVA, rather than guessing. We don’t use forums, social media, or other unofficial sites as a source for facts.
How a page is researched and written
- Start from the question families actually ask, such as “Do I need approval first?” or “What happens at 65?”
- Find the rule in the regulation, the Guidebook, and VA.gov, and read the full section, not just a summary.
- Write the short answer first, then the steps, what you’ll need, common mistakes, and where relevant a worked cost example.
- Use only official figures in cost examples (such as the $50 / $100 deductible, the 25% cost share, and the $3,000 catastrophic cap). Any made-up amount, like a sample bill, is labeled as an illustration.
- List the sources at the bottom of the page under “Official sources.”
- Mark anything we can’t source. If we can’t find an official source for a statement, we leave it out.
We don’t name real people, quote private messages, or use community posts as examples.
When pages are re-checked
Every guide shows a “Last verified against VA.gov” date near the top, and many also show when VA last updated its own page. We re-check a page against its sources:
- whenever VA updates a source page, form, or the Guidebook that the page relies on; and
- whenever a reader reports a possible error.
The “Last verified” date only changes when we actually re-check the page against its sources.
Corrections
If you think something on this site is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] with the page address and what you think is wrong. A link to the official source helps. Please don’t include personal or medical details.
When we confirm an error, we fix the page, update its “Last verified” date, and record meaningful changes in the changelog. We can’t answer questions about your own claim or eligibility; for that, call CHAMPVA at 800-733-8387 (TTY 711).
Independence from VA
This is not an official VA website. AskCHAMPVA is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We don’t use VA seals or logos, we can’t make or influence any VA decision, and we never prepare, file, or charge for help with claims or applications. For one-on-one help, we point you to free accredited VSOs.
How ads are kept separate from content
- The site is funded by Google AdSense ads. Advertisers don’t choose topics, review drafts, or change answers, and we don’t write pages to suit an advertiser.
- Ads are visually separate from page content. We don’t show ads on our checklists, forms library, site search, community, contact, or legal pages.
- Sponsored content, if we ever publish any, will always be clearly labeled.
- How ads use cookies, and your choices, are explained in our Privacy policy.
No reviewers or credentials we don’t have
We don’t claim medical, legal, or insurance credentials, and we don’t list a reviewer unless a real, named reviewer has actually checked the page.