There is a lot of confusing — and sometimes flat-out wrong — information about veterans’ health coverage abroad. Here are the answers, based on the VA’s own published rules. Where something isn’t covered, we say so.
Does every U.S. veteran get free health care abroad?
No — and be careful with anyone who tells you otherwise. The VA’s Foreign Medical Program (FMP) covers care outside the United States only for VA-rated, service-connected conditions, for conditions the VA determines are associated with a service-connected condition, and for certain care under the Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) program. It is not blanket health insurance.
What is FMP, exactly?
FMP is the VA program that pays for medically necessary care you receive in a foreign country for your service-connected disabilities — doctor visits, hospital care, physical therapy, medical equipment, and FDA-approved prescription medications. You can read the VA’s own explanation at va.gov/health-care/foreign-medical-program.
How do I register?
File VA Form 10-7959f-1 (the FMP Registration Form). Once registered, download your FMP benefits letter from your VA.gov account (under Letters) — it lists exactly which of your conditions are covered. Aída, our billing specialist, helps veterans with this paperwork at no charge, whether or not you ever use our pharmacy.
How do prescriptions get paid?
Two ways. The default: you pay the pharmacy in cash, file VA Form 10-7959f-2 with receipts and your prescription, and wait for reimbursement — a U.S. Treasury check if the VA doesn’t have a U.S. bank account on file for you. The other way: use a provider that files the claim for you. The VA then pays the provider directly and you pay nothing for covered medications. The VA describes both options at va.gov/health-care/file-foreign-medical-program-claim. That second path is what we do at Veterans Pharmacy Costa Rica.
Does FMP cover medication for PTSD and other mental-health conditions?
If the condition is service-connected — or the VA links it to one that is — yes, prescription medication for it is covered like any other. The VA’s own example: care for depression associated with service-connected PTSD.
What does FMP not cover?
Anything unrelated to your service-connected conditions. It also excludes medicines that aren’t FDA-approved, long-term nursing care, and care received inside the U.S. For everything else, Costa Rica’s private health care is excellent and inexpensive by U.S. standards — but that’s your cost, not the VA’s, and we will always tell you which is which before you spend anything.
Do I need a referral or prior authorization?
No. Under FMP you can see any licensed provider in Costa Rica, with no referral and no pre-authorization. (The exception: VR&E participants need a case-manager referral for non-service-connected care.)
Is there a deadline for claims?
Yes — claims must be filed within 2 years of the date of care. One more reason direct billing is simpler: when the pharmacy files for you, there’s nothing for you to file or miss.
Still have questions?
Message Lia, our head pharmacist, on WhatsApp at +506 8883-5632 — you’ll get a straight answer, including “FMP won’t cover that” when that’s the truth.