You are getting a lot of good and bad info here.
If you are a Vet the VA will treat you. The VA has 8 different classes of Vets. You will initially be put in class 8. The lowest. You will be obligated to pay a copay for treatment which may or may not be paid by your insurance. You will also be allowed to get medication from the VA with a copay of 8 dollars a month. ( It may have recently been increased to 9 dollars). The prescription must be written by a VA doctor. I have taken my Doctors RX to the VA doctor and he will usually prescribe it. Beware some medications are not in the VA pharmacology and they will prescribe a alternative.
That being said as a boots on the ground VN Vet you fall into a special category. You will be evaluated for Agent Orange. Certain Diseases are presumptively attributed to agent Orange. The most common is type 2 Diabetes. A list of these diseases Can be found on the VA web site. If you suffer from any of these it is automatically considered service connected because of agent orange exposure.
Now the kicker is that VA Health Care people are different from the people that evaluate your your claim. A claim must be files to raise your status above class 8. There are numerous agencies that will help you file your claim even certain law firms. These agencies are prohibited by law from charging you for these services even the legal firms. A NOD ( notice of disagreement) can be filed if you disagree with the decision.
There is much more I could tell you bout the VA system.
I am a VN Vet with a service connected disability and I both love and hate the VA. It is a lot of bureaucratic BS but ultimately I have won every battle. I simple read their rules and regulation and make them follow them.
For you meeting a copy of your DD214 and a valid Photo ID is all you need. The DD214 will prove you are a Vet and prove you were boots on ground VN.
Good Luck
Contact me if I can be of further assistance.
I reread your initial post and wanted to add a few comments.
Dental coverage is tough, It is only thru a narrow channel that you can get full coverage however as mention in post above you can get some dental coverage with with a premium around 40 dollars a month if you are enrolled in VA health care. Bring any prescriptions you have to the PCP (Primary Care physician) and see if he will prescribe them thru VA. Get used to the abbreviation you will encounter a lot of them.
Is you hip injury service connected in anyway? If it was documented in your military records that is good and almost a slam dunk. Depending on which area you are in a claim may take 6 to 18 months. Remember a claim is not for VA health care, It is for service connection. Once my Service connection was awarded all the money I had paid the VA for copay or medicine was refunded.
Any medication for a service connected problem has no copay.
any other medicine has a copay, however if you are awarded above a 30% disability all medicine is free regardless of service connection. Above 10% will get you vision care eye glasses and such. Hearing problems, VA is one of the best sources for hearing aids. Were you exposed to loud noises in Vietnam, Compare the entry physical hearing test to you discharge hearing test. A drastic drop will support a claim with proof of exposure to loud noises. The list goes on and on So when and if you decided to file a claim make sure you use a competent disability filer. You can find help at the VA or you local VFW or American Legion. In Texas we
have County VA agents that work for the County not the VA and they are usually pretty good.
Hope this helps.
One other thing bring a book to read while waiting for the Doctor. Be courteous but don’t take any crap. Just because someone at the VA tells you something, do not take it as Gospel. I have found them wrong at least 50% of the time. Not because they are bad people but the ones above them have misinformed them. By and large the people that you deal with at the VA are good caring people it is the Layers above them that is the problem. Their reporting system on how well they are doing is just like body count in Vietnam. Greatly exaggerated.
Just an an up date on my initial visit to my local Veterans Outpatient clinic. I arrived about 10:10 for my 10:30 appointment. Signed in and was seen by a RN. She took BP readings and asked a lot of questions (Just a get to know me type of interview). Told her about my hip problem and dental problem. And my past medical history. They also took about 6 small vials of blood for testing. She then gave me a filled in form to take to the hospital across the street so I could get X-Rays of my hips done. After being admitted to the hospital signing some forms and such I had my X-rays taken and I was out in about 30 min. The X-rays will be delivered to the VA clinic this afternoon. I have an appointment to return to the VA Outpatient next week. I was home by 12:30.
There were 4 patients in the VA Clinic waiting room when I got there and none when I left. I was home by 12:30. I needed no other paper work to prove I was a Vet. Smooth uncomplicated visit. Nice experience for a trip to be seen by the VA.