Ayushman Vay Vandana Card (AB PM-JAY for Senior Citizens 70+)

What is the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card?

Ayushman Vay Vandana Card is the senior-citizen expansion of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, implemented by the National Health Authority under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Union Cabinet approved health coverage for all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of income, on 11 September 2024, and the Prime Minister launched the expansion on 29 October 2024.

According to the National Health Authority, the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card provides Rs 5 lakh of free health cover to every citizen aged 70 and above, regardless of socio-economic status. This is the only part of PM-JAY where eligibility is decided purely by age and not by the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 database.

Key objectives

• Remove income as a barrier to hospital care for the elderly.
• Protect senior citizens from catastrophic out-of-pocket medical expenditure.
• Ensure elderly members of poor households are not squeezed out of the family cover by other members' claims.

Main features

• Rs 5 lakh a year of cashless hospital cover, with no premium and no co-payment.
• No income, caste, ration card or SECC test - only age matters.
• All pre-existing diseases covered from day one, no waiting period.
• Around 2,000 medical procedures covered across specialities.
• Cover is portable across India at empanelled hospitals.

How the Rs 5 lakh works for different households

Ayushman Vay Vandana Card treats two situations differently, and this is the detail most people get wrong:

• Senior citizens in a family already covered under AB PM-JAY receive an additional top-up cover of up to Rs 5 lakh a year for themselves. The household's existing Rs 5 lakh family floater is untouched, so a son's surgery no longer exhausts the cover his 75-year-old mother needs.
• Senior citizens in families not otherwise covered by PM-JAY receive their own Rs 5 lakh cover a year on a family basis for the eligible seniors of that household. It is not Rs 5 lakh per individual - a husband and wife both above 70 share the Rs 5 lakh between them.

How many Vay Vandana Cards have been issued?

According to a Press Information Bureau release, enrolment for the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card reached 25 lakh cards within less than two months of launch. The National Health Authority has continued to publish periodic updates on Vay Vandana enrolment; check the latest PIB release for the current figure rather than relying on an older number.

Who is eligible for the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card?

You can apply if:

• You are an Indian citizen aged 70 years or above. Age is taken from the date of birth recorded in Aadhaar.
• You live in a state or union territory that implements AB PM-JAY. Delhi became the 35th state or UT to implement the scheme.
• You hold Aadhaar and can complete e-KYC.
• You are covered by a private health insurance policy - this does not disqualify you.
• You are a member of the Employees' State Insurance scheme - ESIC members remain eligible.

Income, occupation, pension amount, property ownership, tax status and ration card category are all irrelevant for this category.

You cannot apply if:

• You are below 70 years of age. A 68-year-old is not eligible under the Vay Vandana route, though the household may still qualify under the regular PM-JAY criteria.
• You choose to continue with CGHS, ECHS or Ayushman CAPF. According to the National Health Authority, senior citizens already availing those government schemes must choose between their existing scheme and AB PM-JAY - they cannot hold both simultaneously.
• You live in a state or UT that has not implemented PM-JAY, such as West Bengal.
• Your Aadhaar records an age below 70 even though your actual age is higher. In this case correct the Aadhaar date of birth first; the system reads Aadhaar, not a birth certificate produced at the counter.

What documents are required for the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card?

No income certificate, no BPL certificate and no medical report is required.

How to apply for the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card online

1. Download the Ayushman App from the Google Play Store, or open beneficiary.nha.gov.in in a browser.
2. Log in as Beneficiary with your mobile number and the OTP received.
3. Select your state and district, choose the scheme PMJAY, and search using your Aadhaar number.
4. If your age in Aadhaar is 70 or above, the system shows you under the senior citizen category. Select your name and start e-KYC.
5. Complete authentication using Aadhaar OTP, face authentication, fingerprint or iris. Face authentication on the mobile app is the easiest route for seniors whose mobile is not linked to Aadhaar.
6. Capture the live photograph, confirm address and family details, and submit the request.
7. Once the state-level approver clears the request, download the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card from the app or portal. A printout of the verified card is enough to take cashless treatment.

How to apply for the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card offline

1. Visit the Ayushman Mitra desk at any empanelled hospital, or a nearby Common Service Centre.
2. Carry your Aadhaar card and mobile phone.
3. Ask the operator to search the PM-JAY database under the 70-plus senior citizen category and complete biometric e-KYC for you.
4. Collect the printed card, or the acknowledgement with which you can download it later.

Camps organised by state health departments and urban local bodies also enrol senior citizens; these are announced locally and are free.

What treatment does the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card cover?

Ayushman Vay Vandana Card covers around 2,000 medical procedures, and within the Rs 5 lakh annual limit it pays for:

• Hospitalisation across specialities including cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, neurology, urology and nephrology.
• Diagnostics up to 3 days before admission.
• Free drugs for 15 days after discharge.
• ICU charges, implants, doctor's fees, food and lodging during the stay.
• All pre-existing conditions from the first day, with no waiting period - the point that matters most for elderly patients with diabetes, hypertension or cardiac history.

Treatment is cashless at the empanelled hospital. There is no premium, no co-payment and no reimbursement claim to file afterwards.

How to use the card at a hospital

1. Check that the hospital is empanelled under PM-JAY - all public hospitals from Community Health Centre level upwards in implementing states are deemed empanelled, and the private hospital list is on hospitals.pmjay.gov.in.
2. Go to the Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitra desk with the card and Aadhaar.
3. The Arogya Mitra verifies identity and raises a pre-authorisation request.
4. On approval the hospital provides treatment cashless. Do not pay for any covered item; if asked, call 14555.

Common problems seniors face while applying

• Aadhaar date of birth wrong or showing only a year - correct it at an Aadhaar Seva Kendra before applying, since the system reads Aadhaar age.
• Fingerprint authentication failing because of worn fingerprints - use face authentication on the Ayushman App instead.
• Mobile number not linked to Aadhaar - complete assisted e-KYC at a hospital or Common Service Centre.
• Card stuck at "under process" - this is pending state-level approval; the helpline can escalate it with your reference number.
• Confusing the card with the pension schemes - Vay Vandana Card is health cover only and pays no monthly amount.

Help and grievance redressal

• PM-JAY helpline: 14555 or 1800-111-565, available 24x7
• Beneficiary portal: beneficiary.nha.gov.in
• Scheme information: nha.gov.in/PM-JAY
• At the hospital: the Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitra desk

The Ayushman Vay Vandana Card is free. No agent should be paid to create it, and no genuine official will ask a senior citizen to share their Aadhaar OTP over the phone.