Ayushman Bharat Yojana's expansion to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above is a significant step in ensuring good health for eligible elderly. The eligibility criteria are simple for seniors to get health coverage under the scheme; they should be at least 70 years old if not from an economically weaker section of the society and should be residents of India. Earlier, it was available only for a selected few from the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 and other database. But now it is for all seniors irrespective of their income group. All eligible senior beneficiaries get a unique ‘Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card’ for availing the services from more than 30 thousand government and empanelled private hospitals.

Also Read: What Is Ayushman Bharat Yojana?

The expansion of the scheme has been rolled out recently on October 29, 2024. To enrol, eligible applicants can apply online through the official Ayushman Yojana Portal or the mobile app. It takes 15 minutes to get the card.

How To Apply For An Ayushman Vaya Vandana Card:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the National Health Authority

Step 2: On the homepage, log in with the given captcha code, enter your mobile number, and verify it to receive an OTP. After entering the OTP and the second captcha code, click on login. It can be done either by the beneficiary or an operator

Step 3: The next screen will show scheme, state, sub-scheme, district, and search by and their respective drop-down menu. Select relevant options

Step 4: If no details are found, click on - for a senior aged 70 and above, the ‘clear here to enrol’ option

Step 5: On the new screen, fill Aadhaar number, and captcha code, and click ‘search’. If the details do not exist in the database, a message ‘click here for fresh enrollment of 70’, will pop up at the bottom. Click on it

Step 6: The next screen opens the e-KYC option (Aadhaar OTP, Fingerprint, and Iris). Applicants can use any of the options. Let's consider Aadhaar OTP here. Verify your Aadhaar number, tick the consent box after reading it, and click ‘Allow’

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Step 7: OTP will be sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile number and user mobile number. Fill these in the relevant boxes

Step 8: The next screen will show, ‘e-KYC is successful. You are eligible for the AB PM-JAY 70 years or more scheme’. Declare the applicable beneficiary option, such as CGHS, CAPF, none of the above, etc., or self-declare and write in the given box, and proceed

Step 9: Once e-KYC is successful, it will fetch beneficiary details such as name, father's name, date of birth, etc. However, the beneficiary needs to capture a photo for records and fill mobile number, category, pin code, address, and all family members’ details before submitting the form. These details are mandatory and cannot be skipped   

Step 10: The process is complete on successful submission. A pop-up message will appear on the screen ‘e-KYC is completed. Please download the Ayushman card after some time

After 15 minutes, the card will be ready to download for senior citizens.

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One can also register through a mobile app. For this, download the Ayushman app from the Google Play Store and register for the scheme. The process is the same as on the portal.

Ayushman Bharat Yojana benefits can be availed in addition to a private insurance policy. So, it is not mutually exclusive and is an addition to the health coverage. The most important benefit of the scheme is that the coverage starts immediately and there is no waiting period. So, even those seniors who already have a policy can also enrol under the Ayushman Bharat scheme to maximise their benefits.