What Is the Vay Vandana Card?
Launched by the Prime Minister on 29 October 2024, the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card is a dedicated extension of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) exclusively for senior citizens aged 70 and above. It gives every eligible senior ₹5 lakh in free hospitalisation coverage per year — and this is the part most families miss — income, caste, occupation, and existing wealth do not matter. A senior with a private pension, a house in South Delhi, and an existing mediclaim policy is just as eligible as someone with no income at all.
As of the government's most recent figures (28 February 2026), over 1.14 crore Vay Vandana cards have been issued nationwide. And as of mid-2026 the scheme is operational in every state and union territory — West Bengal became the 36th and final state to implement AB PM-JAY on 8 June 2026, completing nationwide rollout.
Who Is Eligible?
- Age 70 or above, verified against your Aadhaar card. If only a birth year is on record, 1 January of the following year is used as the date of birth for the calculation.
- No income limit, no asset test, no employment condition.
- Works alongside existing coverage — CGHS, ECHS, a state government scheme, or private mediclaim. This is a common point of confusion for retired government employees and ex-servicemen.
How Much Coverage Do You Actually Get?
- ₹5 lakh per year, refreshed every financial year on 1 April.
- Already PM-JAY eligible? If your family already holds a PM-JAY card (based on the SECC 2011 criteria), a 70+ member gets this ₹5 lakh as a separate top-up — exclusive to them and not shared with younger family members.
- Not otherwise PM-JAY eligible? The senior still gets a standalone ₹5 lakh cover.
- Important nuance for couples: the ₹5 lakh cover is on a family basis — if both husband and wife are 70+, they share one ₹5 lakh pool, not ₹5 lakh each.
Can You Use It Alongside CGHS or ECHS?
Yes — you do not need to surrender your CGHS or ECHS card, and registering for Vay Vandana is smart even if you are already covered, since it gives you a fallback for hospitals that are PM-JAY empanelled but not under CGHS/ECHS. The one rule to know: for a single hospitalisation, you must choose one scheme — you cannot claim the same treatment under both CGHS/ECHS and PM-JAY 70+ simultaneously.
How to Apply — Step by Step
- Visit beneficiary.nha.gov.in or open the Ayushman App.
- Complete Aadhaar-based e-KYC (OTP authentication).
- The portal auto-detects age from Aadhaar — if 70+, the Vay Vandana registration option appears automatically.
- Approval typically takes 15 minutes to 24 hours.
- Download the card as a PDF, or get a physical printed card at any Common Service Centre (CSC).
If a senior cannot manage the online process alone, assisted registration is available at CSCs, at the Ayushman Mitra desk in any empanelled hospital, or at the local Village/Ward office.
Aadhaar mismatch warning: if the age or name on Aadhaar is wrong — a common issue for elderly applicants whose age was never formally corrected — that has to be fixed at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra first. Budget 7-15 days for this before applying.
What This Means for Delhi NCR Families
The card covers 1,961 procedures across 27 medical specialties at 36,229 empanelled hospitals nationwide — 19,483 public and 16,746 private — including empanelled government and private hospitals across Delhi NCR. For a family navigating AIIMS, Safdarjung, or an empanelled private hospital, this can be the difference between a manageable bill and a financially devastating one — particularly for procedures like cataract surgery, joint replacement, or cardiac care that often come up with age.
Practical note: eligibility and card issuance is one hurdle — actually using the card at a specific hospital's billing desk is a separate, often confusing process involving the Ayushman Mitra counter and pre-authorisation paperwork. If you are coordinating this from another city or country, a companion on the ground can save hours of back-and-forth with hospital insurance counters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card?
Every Indian citizen aged 70 or above, verified against Aadhaar. No income limit, no asset test, no employment condition — and it works even if the senior already has CGHS, ECHS, a state scheme, or private mediclaim.
If both husband and wife are above 70, do they get ₹5 lakh each?
No — the ₹5 lakh cover is on a family basis. Multiple eligible members aged 70+ in the same family share one ₹5 lakh pool per year.
Can I use the Vay Vandana Card together with CGHS or ECHS?
You can hold both, but for a single hospitalisation you must choose one scheme. Keeping both registered is still useful because empanelled hospital networks differ.
How do I apply?
Register on beneficiary.nha.gov.in or the Ayushman App with Aadhaar e-KYC (OTP). Approval takes 15 minutes to 24 hours. Assisted registration is available at CSCs, Ayushman Mitra desks at empanelled hospitals, and local ward offices.
What does it cover and where can it be used?
Cashless hospitalisation for 1,961 procedures across 27 specialties at 36,229 empanelled public and private hospitals nationwide — including empanelled hospitals across Delhi NCR.
Neha, Co-Founder
Neha is a Co-Founder of Corelatin. Her background in research and scientific rigor shapes how the team approaches companion verification, hospital navigation protocols, and family reporting standards across Delhi NCR. Corelatin's companions are trained in logistics, communication, and hospital navigation — not medical care, which always remains with qualified hospital staff.
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