Can a veteran with a 0% VA rating stay at a FamCamp?

Yes. Since January 1, 2020, veterans with any service-connected rating, including 0%, can use MWR facilities, and DoD lists tent sites and RV parks as covered. You still have to clear the base's security check, and each camp sets its own booking rules.

Do I need a VA health card (VHIC) to camp on base?

No. Since November 1, 2024, a veteran without a VHIC can enroll at the base Visitor Control Center with a REAL ID driver's license, and the base checks eligibility electronically. Bring a printed VA letter showing your service-connected rating for the camp office, because MWR facilities cannot check it electronically.

Does a base approval cover every base?

No. You enroll at the Visitor Control Center of each base the first time you visit it. Enrollment is typically good for one to three years, or one year after your last visit to that base.

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Rated veterans

Have a VA Rating? You Can Camp on Base

Q: Can my spouse come with me to a FamCamp?

Usually, but it is up to each base. The law gives the privilege to the veteran, not to dependents. Your spouse can travel with you if the base allows accompanying visitors, and adults stop at the Visitor Control Center on the first visit. Veterans rated 100% can get a DoD ID card for themselves and a dependent ID for their spouse.

If the VA rated you for anything, even 0%, military campgrounds are open to you. Most rated veterans have never been told.

VetCamps October 1, 2026

A young veteran family roasts marshmallows at a campfire beside their travel trailer at a lakeside military campground.

Your rating already covers this. Most rated veterans just haven't been told.

This is not legal advice. Each base runs its own security check and sets its own rules for guests, so confirm with the base before you travel.

The short answer

Since January 1, 2020, federal law has let veterans with a service-connected disability rating use military MWR facilities. That includes FamCamps. DoD's own list of covered activities says it plainly: camping, tent sites and RV parks.

The rating can be any percentage. A 10% rating for tinnitus counts the same as a 70% rating. So does a 0% rating, as long as the VA found the condition service connected.

Who qualifies

Veterans with a VA service-connected rating from 0% to 90%
Veterans rated 100% or unemployable (you can also get a DoD ID card, covered below)
Purple Heart recipients
Former prisoners of war
Medal of Honor recipients
Primary family caregivers approved under the VA's caregiver program (PCAFC)

An honorable discharge without a rating does not qualify on its own. If you think you have a condition from your service and never filed, a free accredited Veterans Service Officer can help you file. A rating is what opens the gate.

A young veteran on his truck's tailgate smiles at his phone while his wife leans over his shoulder, with their dog and travel trailer nearby.

A 0% rating counts. So does 10% for tinnitus.

Getting through the gate

The first time you visit a base, you stop at its Visitor Control Center. Some bases call it Pass and ID. You will:

Show a VA health card (VHIC) marked SERVICE CONNECTED, PURPLE HEART, or FORMER POW, or a REAL ID driver's license.
Pass a quick background check on the spot.
Have your eligibility checked electronically. You don't need to bring a letter for this step.

After that, you show the same card at the gate. Enrollment is typically good for one to three years, or one year after your last visit to that base. If your card expires, you enroll again with the new one.

The REAL ID route started November 1, 2024. Before that, you needed the VA health card or a printed letter at the gate, which is why a lot of older posts still say you can't get on without a VHIC.

At the camp office

The gate can check your eligibility electronically. The camp office can't. If you don't have a VHIC, bring a printed VA letter that shows your service-connected rating. You can download one from VA.gov under your VA letters. Caregivers bring their VA caregiver letter.

If you have a VHIC with one of the labels above, that card covers both the gate and the camp office.

The honest catches

Your spouse isn't covered on their own.

The law gives the privilege to the veteran, not the family. Your spouse can travel with you if that base allows accompanying visitors, and adults stop at the Visitor Control Center with you on the first visit. Some bases make that easy. Others are strict. Ask before you go.

Every base is its own check.

Enrolling at one base doesn't enroll you at the next. Plan on a Visitor Control Center stop at each new base, and check its hours, because some close on weekends.

Each camp sets its own booking rules.

How far ahead you can book, how long you can stay, and who books first can vary by camp. When you call, tell them you're a service-connected veteran and ask whether that changes anything for your dates.

Not every MWR program is included.

Camping, lodging, golf, bowling, and the exchange are in. Gyms and child care are not, and pools are up to each service.

Rated 100%? Get the DoD ID card.

Veterans rated 100% or unemployable can get a Uniformed Services ID card at a military ID card office, and their spouse can get a dependent ID at the same visit. That card covers more than the VA route and saves your spouse the visitor pass.

Before your first trip

Print your VA letter showing your rating, or confirm your VHIC is marked SERVICE CONNECTED.
Make sure your driver's license is REAL ID. Look for the star in the corner.
Find a camp in the VetCamps app and tap Call to reach the camp office. Tell them you're a service-connected veteran and book your site.
On the same listing, open Gate Access, go to the VCC tab, and call the Visitor Control Center. Ask about their hours and whether your spouse or anyone else can come with you.

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Sources used

10 U.S.C. § 1065 (commissary and MWR use for certain veterans and caregivers)
VA and DoD installation access update, November 2024
DoD answers to expanded access questions, including covered MWR activities
Download your VA letters (VA.gov)

Who else can stay, and the spouse and guest rules in detail: FamCamp eligibility. Your rating can also cut federal campsite fees in half: Does the veterans park pass cover camping? More field notes in Guides.