How to File VA Medical Expense Forms

By Joe Stone

Filing a claim for VA benefits requires submitting a number of forms with the Department of Veterans Affairs, one of which could be a medical expense report. Although this form is optional, it should be filed as these expenses may be deducted from the income you report, which would increase the amount of benefits you may receive. The purpose of this form is to determine the amount of family medical expenses paid by you that are not reimbursed from any other sources. All of your expenses for medical and dental care should be included on the report.

Make a list of all the expenses you and your family incur during the year that are related to medical or dental care. For example, such expenses would include: doctor and dental office visits; expense incurred for in-patient or out-patient hospital visits; medicines, both prescription and non-prescription; eye exams and glasses; premiums paid for medical insurance, both private and deductions for Medicare; expenses incurred for nursing home care, in-home health care, and transportation expenses for medical office and hospital visits.

Review the eligibility verification form that you will receive from the VA after filing your initial claim for benefits. This form should specify the period of time that must be covered in your medical expense report.

Obtain a medical expense report form either from your local VA office or from the VA website.

Complete the medical expense report form using the list of information you prepared regarding your medical expenses. You should report all legitimate medical expenses, even if you do not have documentation to support them.

Submit the completed medical expense report to your local VA office. You also have the option of preparing the form online via the VA website and submitting it electronically.

Be prepared to respond to the VA's request for additional information regarding any information in your report. Also, if you receive any reimbursement for medical expenses after submitting the report, you should notify the VA and amend your report.

By signing and submitting the Medical Expense Report you are certifying that the information is true, so do not include information you know to be false; you may be subject to administrative or criminal penalties.

You must keep your back-up documentation for the medical expense report for at least three years from the date you submitted the report, because the VA can request to review them within that time. If you do not have documentation to support the expenses in your report, the VA can terminate or reduce your benefits retroactively.

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