HEALTHCAREVA program
Foreign Medical Program
VA health care coverage for veterans with service-connected conditions who reside or travel outside the United States, reimbursing care from non-VA foreign providers for covered conditions.
Available to veterans with service-connected conditions residing or traveling abroad
Step-by-step guide
What you get
VA may cover the cost of medically necessary care you get in a foreign country for a VA-rated, service-connected condition, by paying your provider directly or paying you back.
What FMP covers
- A rated service-connected condition, or VR&E careThe care is for a VA-rated service-connected disability, for a condition VA finds is associated with a service-connected disability and makes it worse, or is part of the care you get while taking part in Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E).
- Care in a foreign countryFMP covers only care you get in a foreign country. It does not cover care or supplies you get in or from the U.S. or U.S. territories.
Source: 38 CFR 17.35(a) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Foreign Medical Program (FMP) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: getting care through the Foreign Medical Program (opens in new tab)
Which part of FMP is this?
- Care FMP covers
FMP covers medically necessary care you get in a foreign country. You can use any licensed provider where you live or travel, with no referral or approval needed first, except VR&E care for a condition that is not service connected. Your FMP benefits letter lists the conditions VA covers.
Source: 38 CFR 17.35(a) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Foreign Medical Program (FMP) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: getting care through the Foreign Medical Program (opens in new tab)
- Filing a claim yourself
If your provider files the FMP claim and VA approves it, VA pays the provider directly. If the provider does not file, you pay the provider and file a claim yourself; if VA approves it, VA pays you back for the cost of your service-connected care.
- Care FMP coversThe same two rules as above: the care is for a service-connected condition, or is VR&E care, and you got it in a foreign country.
- An itemized bill and proof you paidThe claim includes an itemized bill from the provider that lists the conditions treated and the dates of care, and proof that you paid. Some kinds of care need more papers.
- Filed within 2 yearsVA.gov says to file within 2 years of the date you got the care, or of the date you left the hospital if you were admitted. Time limits, below, covers ongoing care and requests for more papers.
Source: VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-7959f-2 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.124 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.35(a) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Foreign Medical Program (FMP) (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.126 (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.131 (opens in new tab)
Time limits
File an FMP claim within 2 years of the date you got the care, or of the date you left the hospital if you were admitted. For ongoing care, file as you go: VA does not pay for any part of it more than 2 years before the claim. For care you got before VA granted service connection, file within 2 years of the date VA notified you of the award. VA pays only for care related to the service-connected disability that you got in the 2 years before you filed the disability claim that led to the award, and not for care before the effective date of the award or before that 2-year period. If VA asks for more papers, send them within 1 year or the claim is treated as abandoned. To ask VA to reconsider a denied claim, send your request within 1 year of the decision.
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMP benefits letter A VA letter that lists the conditions FMP covers for you and tells a provider how to submit claims. | Which conditions FMP covers | Sign in to VA.gov, select Letters from the My VA menu, and go to Benefit letters and documents. Share it with your provider. | Yes |
| Itemized bill from the provider When you file yourself, a bill with the provider's full name and medical title, office address, billing address, and phone number, and a list of the conditions you got care for and the dates of care. | What care you got, where, for which condition, and when | Ask the provider for it and send it to the VA Foreign Medical Program with your claim. VA translates papers in other languages. | Yes |
| The provider's bill, when the provider files The bill your provider sends with an FMP claim it files for you. | What care you got, where, for which condition, and when | Your provider sends it to VA with the claim. You do not send it. | |
| Proof you paid A receipt, or a billing statement marked paid. | That you paid the provider | Keep it from the provider. It goes to the VA Foreign Medical Program with your claim. | Yes |
| Extra records for some kinds of care When you file yourself: for a hospital stay, the discharge summary and any operation report. For medical devices, equipment, or supplies, the prescription that names the item and gives a detailed description of it, the related condition, and how long you need it, plus a description of any changes or nonstandard features and why you need them. For medicines, the prescription and a receipt from your provider or the pharmacy that shows the pharmacy name, address, and phone; the medicine name, dosage, strength, quantity, and cost; the related condition; the fill date; and the provider signature. Without a receipt, a billing statement that shows you paid, with the pharmacist signature. | The details VA needs for that kind of care | Get them from the hospital, provider, or pharmacy. They go to the VA Foreign Medical Program with your claim. | |
| FMP claim cover sheet VA Form 10-7959f-2, the cover sheet for an FMP claim sent by email, mail, or fax. | Your claim to be paid back | Download it from VA.gov, or file online instead and skip the paper form. |
Bills, receipts, and claim forms go to the VA Foreign Medical Program. BeneVets does not ask for copies of them.
Steps, in order
- Get free help from a VSO
Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)
- Get your FMP benefits letter
Sign in to VA.gov, select Letters from the My VA menu, and go to Benefit letters and documents. The letter lists the conditions FMP covers and explains how a provider submits claims.
Source: VA.gov: Foreign Medical Program (FMP) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: download VA benefit letters (opens in new tab)
- Ask your provider to file
Share the letter with your provider and ask them to file an FMP claim for you. When the provider files and VA approves the claim, VA pays the provider directly.
Source: VA.gov: Foreign Medical Program (FMP) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab)
- Care before VA grants service connection
Keep your bills and receipts for care related to a condition VA has not rated yet. If VA grants service connection, file the FMP claim for that care; Time limits gives the deadline and how far back VA pays.
Source: 38 CFR 17.126 (opens in new tab)
- Gather the bill and proof you paid
If you paid and the provider does not file, collect an itemized bill that shows the provider's full name and medical title, office address, billing address, and phone number, the conditions you got care for, and the dates of care. Add proof you paid: a receipt, or a billing statement marked paid. Ask for papers in English when you can; VA translates the rest.
Source: VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab); 38 CFR 17.124 (opens in new tab)
- Add records for hospital stays, equipment, and medicines
For a hospital stay, add the discharge summary and any operation report. For medical devices, equipment, or supplies, add the prescription that names the item and gives a detailed description of it, the related condition, and how long you need it, plus a description of any changes or nonstandard features and why you need them. For medicines, add the prescription and a receipt from your provider or the pharmacy that shows the pharmacy name, address, and phone; the medicine name, dosage, strength, quantity, and cost; the related condition; the fill date; and the provider signature. Without a receipt, send a billing statement that shows you paid, with the pharmacist signature.
Source: VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab)
- File the claim
File by the deadline under Time limits: online on VA.gov, or send VA Form 10-7959f-2 with your papers by email to HAC.FMP@va.gov, by fax to 303-331-7803, or by mail to VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care, Foreign Medical Program (FMP), PO Box 200, Spring City, PA 19475.
Source: VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab); VA Form 10-7959f-2 (opens in new tab)
- If VA denies the claim
VA sends a letter that explains its decision and your options. VA.gov says to ask VA to reconsider by mailing a letter, by the deadline under Time limits, to VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care, Appeals, PO Box 600, Spring City, PA 19475, with any new information that supports the claim.
Source: VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab)
Good to know
If you take part in VR&E and need care for a condition that is not service connected, get a referral from your VR&E case manager before the care. The referral includes the treatment plan, your VR&E enrollment dates, and the case manager's signature.
Source: VA.gov: getting care through the Foreign Medical Program (opens in new tab)
Among other things, FMP does not cover care unrelated to a service-connected disability; experimental care or medicines that are not FDA approved; long-term care in nursing homes, assisted living, mental health facilities, or adult day health centers; travel costs; mail-order medicines from the U.S.; care in a country that does not accept U.S. Treasury checks or does not allow travel for U.S. citizens; or care from a provider or facility barred from the program. For care not related to a service-connected disability, other health insurance you have may pay.
Source: VA.gov: getting care through the Foreign Medical Program (opens in new tab); VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab)
With a U.S. bank account on file, VA deposits the payment there; without one, VA mails a check. With an international bank account on file, VA mails a U.S. Treasury check. VA converts the amount to U.S. dollars at the rate on the date you got care. To set up direct deposit to an international bank account, contact VA through Ask VA.
Source: VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Ask VA (opens in new tab)
From the U.S. and Canada, call 833-930-0816 (TTY: 711); for claim questions, select 3. The line is open Monday through Friday, 8:05 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. ET. VA.gov lists toll-free FMP numbers for Australia, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the United Kingdom. You can also contact FMP online through Ask VA.
Source: VA.gov: Foreign Medical Program (FMP) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab); VA.gov: Ask VA (opens in new tab)
FMP works the same way in the Philippines. VA also runs an outpatient clinic in Manila that can treat service-connected conditions, and within its limits, other conditions of a veteran who has a service-connected disability.
BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you
Sources checked October 15, 2026: 38 CFR 17.35(a) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 17.35(b) (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 17.123 (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 17.124 (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 17.126 (opens in new tab), 38 CFR 17.131 (opens in new tab), VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Foreign Medical Program (FMP) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: getting care through the Foreign Medical Program (opens in new tab), VA.gov: file a Foreign Medical Program claim (opens in new tab), VA.gov: download VA benefit letters (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Ask VA (opens in new tab), VA Form 10-7959f-2 (opens in new tab)