Healthcare Benefits for Veterans Who Are Also Expats: The Most Important Things You Should Know

It can already be challenging enough to transition back to civilian life from active duty, but the prospect gets even more daunting for veterans moving abroad with family after retiring from service.

If you’re a Veteran who lives overseas, you remain entitled to the benefits and services you earned through your military service. Most VA benefits, such as disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment and burial, are payable regardless of your place of residence or nationality. disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment and burial.

The Veterans Benefits Administration can provide assistance regarding VA benefits.

Getting healthcare overseas

As a Veteran living or traveling abroad, you can receive medical care for VA service-connected disabilities through our VA Foreign Medical Program. Under this program, we assume payment responsibility for the necessary treatment of service-connected disabilities. You can visit our Foreign Medical Program page for more information. There are regional toll-free phone numbers on this page that you can call for additional assistance.

If you are a veteran who lives or travels abroad and needs medical care for service-connected disabilities, you can receive that care through the VA Foreign Medical Program. This program allows veterans to receive medical care from approved providers in countries all around the world. This care is provided at no cost to you, and you can receive it whether or not you are stationed in a foreign country. To be eligible for the VA Foreign Medical Program, you must: 

• Be a veteran. 
• Have a service-connected disability that is considered permanent and requires regular care. 
• Be registered with the VA. 
• Be a citizen or national of a country eligible for the VA Foreign Medical Program. 
• Meet other eligibility requirements specified by the VA.

To complete an online registration form for FMP, please download VA Form 10-7959f-1.

In Conclusion

To sum it up, you should aim to be aware of your emotions when making this big life decision. Be patient with yourself and don’t forget that the journey won’t always be easy. Just like how challenges are used to make you stronger, the ups and downs that come with the big decision can only make your life better in a way!