Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA)

This rule implements provisions of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 and the Veterans' Survivor Benefits Improvements Act of 2001. These changes extend CHAMPVA eligibility to persons age 65 and over who would have otherwise lost their CHAMPVA eligibility due to attainment of entitlement to hospital insurance benefits under Medicare Part A. This rule also implements coverage of physical examinations required in connection with school enrollment for beneficiaries through age 17 and reduces the catastrophic cap for CHAMPVA dependents and survivors (per family) from $7,500 to $3,000 for each calendar year. These regulatory changes implement the statutory provisions.