Tricare is the U.S. military’s health-insurance program for active-duty servicemembers, military families, and military retirees. The VA is a separate system covering veterans who have separated from active duty. Tricare covers limited skilled home health (similar to Medicare); VA home-care programs are far more comprehensive for ongoing daily support. Many military retirees qualify for both systems and use them in combination.
This guide explains what each program covers for in-home care, who qualifies, and how to use them together without coverage gaps. For the broader VA picture, see our pillar guide on veterans home care and the program breakdown in VA benefits that pay for home care.
What does Tricare cover for in-home care?
Tricare’s coverage of in-home care is narrow:
- Skilled home health. RN visits, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy when ordered by a physician for a specific medical condition. Coverage is similar to Medicare’s home health benefit.
- Hospice care. Comprehensive in-home hospice for terminally ill beneficiaries.
- Durable medical equipment. Hospital beds, wheelchairs, oxygen, and other in-home medical equipment.
- Some custodial care under the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) for active-duty family members with qualifying special needs.
Tricare does NOT cover:
- Long-term non-medical home care (companion care, personal care for ADLs)
- Live-in or 24/7 home care
- Adult day care
- Memory care services not tied to a specific medical episode
What does the VA cover that Tricare doesn’t?
The VA’s home care programs fill the gaps Tricare leaves open:
- Aid & Attendance — cash benefit (up to $2,800/mo in 2026) for ongoing non-medical daily-living help. Tricare won’t pay this.
- Homemaker / Home Health Aide program — long-term non-medical in-home care. Tricare won’t pay this.
- Veteran-Directed Care — flexible budget that can pay family-member caregivers. Tricare has no equivalent.
- GEC respite — short-term breaks for family caregivers. Tricare doesn’t fund this.
For most retired military members aging in place, the VA’s programs do far more work than Tricare on the home-care side.
How to use Tricare and VA benefits together
Most retired military members aging at home use a layered approach:
- Tricare covers any skilled home health (post-hospital recovery, wound care, therapy) and durable medical equipment.
- VA Aid & Attendance or H/HHA covers the ongoing companion or personal care between medical episodes.
- Medicare (for those over 65) layers on additional skilled home-health coverage.
- Tricare for Life serves as wraparound coverage for Medicare beneficiaries.
The coordination is mostly administrative — your in-home care agency and VA caseworker handle the billing and approvals. Your job is to make sure each system knows about the others.
Who qualifies for Tricare versus VA?
Tricare covers:
- Active-duty servicemembers and their families
- National Guard and Reserve members and their families (when activated)
- Military retirees and their families
- Medal of Honor recipients and their families
- Survivors of deceased military members
VA covers:
- Veterans who served on active duty and were not dishonorably discharged
- Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans
- Some dependents under specific programs (CHAMPVA, fry scholarship, etc.)
A military retiree who is also a veteran qualifies for both systems and uses them in parallel.
What about active-duty family members aging at home?
Active-duty family members (typically a servicemember’s elderly parent) generally aren’t covered by Tricare for long-term home care — Tricare is for the servicemember and their immediate family. If the elderly parent is themselves a veteran, VA programs apply. Otherwise, the family relies on Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, or private pay.
What’s the next step?
A free 15-minute call with a VA-accredited care advisor will map the right combination of Tricare, VA, and Medicare benefits for your specific situation. Talk to a VeteransHomeCare advisor when you’re ready.
