Health Care

There are several ways that military-connected students can access healthcare while at Penn State. The mode of service depends on where your campus is located-, and the level of services provided in the area. In Pennsylvania, there are VA medical facilities, military medical treatment facilities (MTF), and TRICARE and CHAMPVA providers. In addition, University Health Services (UHS) accepts both TRICARE and CHAMPVA benefits but is an out-of-network provider, so co-pays may be higher. You will need to call your respective insurance company if you have any questions on specific coverage, co-pay, and deductible amounts prior to visits at UHS to ensure your understanding of what is and isn’t covered. If you need to utilize UHS services, you will have to provide proof of medical coverage. UHS will accept a US Uniformed Services ID card, a proof of insurance letter from TRICARE, or a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) as proof of your military-connected health care coverage. A TRICARE proof of insurance letter can be obtained from the TRICARE website and information on how to obtain a VHIC can be found on VA Health Benefits website.

Military-Connected Students with VA Health Benefits or TRICARE

If you have VA Health Benefits and/or TRICARE you will need to indicate that after you accept admission to Penn State and begin the Penn State registration process. You will do this by completing the Penn State insurance waiver on LionPATH following the steps below:

1. Logon to your LionPATH account
2. Select “My Information”
3. Select “Health Insurance”
4. Click “Waive”
5. Enter the policy details for the VA Health Benefits and/or TRICARE as detailed below:
   1. Student information:  Should be pre-populated.
   2. Waiver Questions:  Answer Yes to questions 1-8
   3. Are you a graduate assistant/fellow? Yes or No as appropriate
   4. Insurance Company Name:  VA Benefits or TRICARE Member ID Number:  Use TRICARE or US Uniformed Services ID card (Benefits Number)
   5. Group Number:  Use TRICARE or US Uniformed Services ID card (Benefits Number)
   6. Is your Insurance Plan part of a Medicaid Program?  No
   7. Policy Holder First Name: Veteran/Servicemember’s First Name
   8. Policy Holder Last Name: Veteran/Servicemember’s Last Name
   9. Policy Holder Date of Birth: Veteran/Servicemember’s Date of Birth
   10. Policy Holder Member ID Number:  Use TRICARE or US Uniformed Services ID card (Benefits Number)
   11. Insurance Company Phone Number: Self-explanatory
   12. Insurance Company Address: Self-explanatory
   13. City (Must be a City in the United States):  Self-explanatory
   14. State:  Self-explanatory
   15. Zip Code: Self-explanatory
   16. Please select the type of insurance plan you have:  VA Benefits or TRICARE

Military-Connected Students without Health Care Coverage

If you do not have health care coverage, you are highly encouraged to obtain health care coverage while attending Penn State. You can either obtain your own health care coverage through a third party or obtain health care coverage through the Penn State Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP).

University Park Students

In addition to UHS accepting TRICARE, the University Pharmacy and Ambulance Service at University Park participates in the TRICARE program.