Dispute your VA copay charges
You have the right to dispute all or part of your VA copay charges. To avoid late charges, you’ll need to dispute the debt within 30 days of receiving your bill.
How do I dispute my VA copay charges?
You’ll need to submit a written statement explaining why you think the copay charge or balance is incorrect.
Option 1: Online through Ask VA
Follow these steps to dispute your VA copay charge through Ask VA:
- Sign in with a verified account
- For the category, select Debt for benefit overpayments and health care copay bills
- For the topic, select Health care copay debt
- Answer the questions about your information
- When you get to the Your question section, enter if you’re disputing all or part of your copay charge and why you’re disputing this debt
- Upload your written statement and any supporting evidence
Dispute your copay charges through Ask VA
Option 2: By mail
Mail your written statement to the business office or health administration office at your nearest VA medical center. Make sure to include “Billing dispute” on the envelope.
Find the address for your nearest VA medical center
Option 3: In person
Bring your written statement to the business office or health administration office at your nearest VA medical center.
Will VA still go through the debt collection process if I dispute the charges?
This depends on when we receive your dispute.
If we receive your dispute within 90 days from the date the charges first appeared on your billing statement, we won’t start any collection action until we’ve resolved your dispute.
If we don’t receive your dispute within 90 days, we may offset other VA benefits you may receive. This means we may reduce or withhold part of your VA benefits (like disability compensation, GI Bill payments, or Veterans Pension payments) to pay your copay debt. We’ll continue with that process while we’re reviewing your dispute. If we resolve the dispute in your favor, we’ll remove all late charges from your account and pay you back any money withheld from your VA benefits.
If we don’t receive your dispute within 120 days, we may transfer your debt to the U.S. Treasury for further collection action.
Can I get legal representation for my dispute?
Yes. You can choose to have legal representation for all VA payment disputes.
You have 2 options for getting legal representation:
- You can work with a Veterans Service Organization (VSO) or other VA-recognized service organization for no charge, or
- You can hire an attorney or a VA-accredited agent (a trusted professional who’s trained and certified in our processes) for a fee
Find and appoint an accredited representative
If you choose to hire an attorney or accredited agent for a fee, you’ll need to send a copy of the agreement of payment to us at:
Counsel to the Chairman (01C3)
Board of Veterans’ Appeals
810 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20420