The VA Foreign Medical Program (FMP): What It Covers
What the Foreign Medical Program is
FMP is administered by the VA's Foreign Medical Program office. It exists so that veterans who live outside the United States — or are traveling abroad — can receive medically necessary care for their service-connected disabilities without returning to the U.S. for treatment.
You do not need to be enrolled in VA health care to use FMP, but you do need to register with the program, and you must have a service-connected for the condition being treated.
The one rule that controls everything
FMP covers treatment for service-connected conditions only. Under 38 CFR § 17.35, VA may furnish hospital care and medical services abroad for a service-connected disability, for a condition associated with and held to be aggravating a service-connected disability, and for care needed as part of certain VA vocational rehabilitation programs.
This is where most confusion — and most bad advertising — lives. A with a 10% rating for tinnitus and no other service-connected conditions cannot use FMP for a knee injury, blood pressure medication, or routine physicals. Only care tied to the service-connected tinnitus (for example, treatment directly related to that condition) falls within the program.
What FMP is not
- Not comprehensive medical insurance — it does not work like or Medicare abroad.
- Not coverage for non-service-connected conditions, no matter how serious they are.
- Not emergency evacuation or repatriation coverage.
- Not a guarantee that a specific clinic or provider abroad will be reimbursed — payment follows the service-connected condition, not the provider.
How payment works
In most cases the pays the provider and files a with FMP for reimbursement, using VA Form 10-7959f-2 as the cover sheet with itemized bills and medical documentation. Claims can also be filed through FMP's online portal. There are no copayments for treatment of service-connected conditions under FMP.
Because reimbursement follows the condition, the single most valuable thing a abroad can do is make sure every condition that belongs on the award letter is actually on it.
Check this against your own paperwork
FMP questions almost always resolve to what is — and is not — on your rating decision. Find your situation below.
| If your record shows this | What it means |
|---|---|
| Your award letter lists several conditions, but the one you need treatment for isn't on it. | FMP cannot reimburse care for a condition VA has never service-connected. The path runs through a claim or appeal first — coverage follows the rating, not the diagnosis. |
| A condition on your award letter is rated 0%. | A 0% evaluation is still service connection. FMP coverage applies to that condition's treatment even though it pays no monthly compensation. |
| A clinic abroad told you FMP covers all your care there. | No clinic can promise that. Coverage is determined by VA based on your service-connected conditions, not by the provider. |
| You paid out of pocket for treatment of a service-connected condition abroad. | You can file for reimbursement with VA Form 10-7959f-2, itemized bills, and treatment records — including through FMP's online claims portal. |
Nothing here predicts the outcome of any individual claim or reimbursement request.
Frequently Asked Questions
References & sources
- VA — Foreign Medical Program (FMP) — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- 38 U.S.C. § 1724 — Hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care abroad — U.S. Code
- 38 CFR § 17.35 — Hospital care and medical services in foreign countries — Code of Federal Regulations
- VA Form 10-7959f-1 — FMP Registration Form — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- VA Form 10-7959f-2 — FMP Claim Cover Sheet — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Useful Tools & Topics
Have questions about your specific case?
Every veteran's facts are different. A free initial consultation with a VA-Accredited Claims Agent can tell you whether your matter is a fit for representation — and what the right next step looks like either way.
Disclaimer: This page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Oakridge Claims is a private business and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. No guarantees of outcomes are made. Each claim is decided on its individual facts.
Related guides
FMP Pays for Service-Connected Conditions Only
The core rule in 38 CFR § 17.35, why a 0% rating still unlocks coverage, and what to do about conditions you've never claimed.
Living Overseas With Conditions You've Never Claimed
How to file a VA disability claim from abroad, how exams work outside the U.S., and why service connection is the key that unlocks FMP.
VA Disability Claims for Veterans Overseas
Filing and receiving VA disability while living abroad — the Foreign Medical Program (FMP), VA Manila and Philippines offices, C&P exams overseas, and direct deposit to foreign banks.
Overseas Clinics Advertising FMP: Read This First
What clinics abroad that market themselves around FMP actually are, what FMP reimbursement really means, and the claims-mill red flags to watch for.