Mental health care for veterans living abroad

September 10, 2026HealthcareGlobalBy the OCONUS Veterans team

If you are in crisis right now: overseas, call the Veterans Crisis Line number for your region (Europe +1 844-702-5495, Asia-Pacific +1 844-702-5493, Latin America and the Caribbean +1 866-989-9599, Middle East +1 855-422-7719, Africa +1 888-482-6054), use chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or dial DSN 988 from a base phone. In the U.S., dial 988 and press 1. If you are in immediate danger, call local emergency services.

Moving overseas does not leave your mental health at the airport. For some veterans, the move itself is part of healing: a slower pace, a lower cost of living, a fresh start. For others, the distance from VA, the language barrier and the loss of an old support network make things harder. Most of us live somewhere in between.

The good news is that you have more options than many veterans realize. The catch is that they depend on two things: whether your condition is service connected, and where you live. This guide walks through both.

First question: is your condition service connected?

VA does not run hospitals or clinics abroad, with one exception (Manila, covered below). Instead, it pays for some care through the Foreign Medical Program (FMP). According to VA, FMP covers medically necessary care outside the U.S. only if it meets at least one of these conditions:

• It treats a VA-rated, service-connected disability.
• It treats a condition that is aggravating a service-connected disability.
• It is part of care you receive through the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) program.

That matters a lot for mental health. If you are rated for PTSD, depression, anxiety or another mental health condition, FMP can reimburse you (or pay your provider) for treatment of that condition overseas. VA gives a mental health example on its own FMP page:

"we may cover the cost of care for non-service-connected depression because the depression can be associated with PTSD and make it worse."

In plain terms: if you are rated for PTSD and depression is making it worse, the depression treatment may be covered too.

No registration step

You may have read older advice about registering for FMP. That step is gone. The old registration form, VA Form 10-7959f-1, was retired in April 2026. If you have a VA-rated service-connected condition, you are already eligible. Your proof is your FMP benefits letter, which lists your covered conditions. To get it, sign in to VA.gov, choose "Letters" from the My VA menu, and open "Benefit letters and documents."

Print a copy and keep a PDF on your phone. Some private clinics overseas will want to see it before they agree to bill VA directly. Many may not bill VA at all, in which case you pay up front and file for reimbursement.

How to get FMP to pay for therapy or psychiatry

1. Check your benefits letter. Confirm that the mental health condition you want treated is listed as service connected.
2. Find a licensed provider. A psychiatrist, psychologist or licensed therapist in your country. Many U.S. embassy websites post lists of local doctors and hospitals, including some who speak English. Ask whether they will give you an itemized bill in English.
3. Get the right paperwork at each visit. VA asks for an itemized billing statement showing the provider's full name and medical title, office and billing address, phone number, the conditions treated and the dates of care. You also need proof you paid, such as a receipt or a bill marked "paid."
4. Keep prescriptions and pharmacy receipts. For medications, VA wants the prescription plus a pharmacy or provider receipt with the required details.
5. File with VA Form 10-7959f-2 (the FMP claim cover sheet). You can file online, email the claim to HAC.FMP@va.gov, fax it to 303-331-7803, or mail it to: VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care, Foreign Medical Program (FMP), PO Box 200, Spring City, PA 19475.
6. File within 2 years of the date you got the care. For a hospital stay, the clock starts on your discharge date.

VA will translate records that are not in English, but it says translation may add processing time. Ask your provider for English documents when you can. Our FMP claim tips post covers the common reasons claims get delayed.

Calling FMP from abroad

VA lists toll-free FMP numbers for several countries. As of November 2026, the FMP claim page shows:

FMP phone hours are Monday through Friday, 8:05 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Eastern Time. If your country is not on the list (Thailand and the Philippines, for example), call the U.S. number, 833-930-0816, and select 3 (international rates may apply), or use Ask VA online.

If you live in the Philippines: the Manila VA Clinic

The Philippines is the one country where VA runs its own clinic. The Manila VA Clinic's Behavioral Health Department offers psychiatry and psychology services, including telehealth appointments. VA says the Manila clinic is the only VA facility in a foreign country, and that, like FMP, it provides care only for a VA-rated service-connected disability or a disability aggravating one. See our Manila VA Clinic guide for location and contact details.

If your condition is not service connected

This is where many veterans abroad get stuck. FMP will not pay for mental health care unrelated to a service-connected condition. A few realities to plan around:

• Medicare will not help much. Medicare says it usually does not cover health care outside the U.S., with a few narrow exceptions. Medicare drug plans cannot cover drugs you buy abroad.
• TRICARE may. If you are a military retiree, TRICARE overseas coverage may apply. See our TRICARE and CHAMPVA overseas page.
• Local insurance or out of pocket. Private therapy paid out of pocket is an option in most cities. Some countries also require health insurance as part of a residence visa, so check what that policy covers for mental health.
• Consider a claim. If you believe a condition started or got worse in service, a free VA-accredited Veterans Service Organization representative can help you file from overseas. See VA claims from overseas.

Free VA tools that work from any country

Several VA resources need nothing more than a phone or laptop and an internet connection:

• PTSD Coach. A free, publicly available app from VA's National Center for PTSD and DoD. It offers information on PTSD, symptom tracking and tools for managing stress. It is on iOS and Android, with a desktop version called PTSD Coach Online. Family members can use it too. Get it from the National Center for PTSD.
• Veteran Training portal. Free self-help tools for managing anger, problem solving, parenting and more. VA says you do not have to sign in or give personal information to use it.
• VA mental health apps. VA offers apps for stress, mindfulness, sleep and depression through its app store.
• Make the Connection. A VA site with videos of veterans talking about their own mental health challenges and what helped.

These are not a substitute for treatment if you need it, but they are a solid way to start, and they are there at 2 a.m. in any time zone. Find them on VA's mental health page.

Vet Centers, peer lines and U.S.-based services

Vet Centers offer free individual, group, marriage and family counseling, and VA says you do not need to be enrolled in VA health care or receive disability compensation to use them. They are located in the U.S. and in several U.S. territories, including Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. If you live in or near Guam or Saipan, that is worth knowing.

Some U.S.-based lines can also help, if your phone setup reaches U.S. toll-free numbers (a U.S. calling app often works):

• Vet Center Call Center and combat veteran peer line: 877-927-8387, 24/7. Talk with a fellow combat veteran.
• Caregiver Support Line: 855-260-3274, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. VA's former Coaching into Care number, 888-823-7458, now redirects here. Useful for a spouse or family member supporting a veteran.
• Military OneSource: 800-342-9647. Free non-medical counseling is available to service members and family members for 365 days after separation, by phone, chat or video. Military OneSource publishes OCONUS calling options on its site.

Practical tips for care abroad

• Bring your records. Before you move, download your VA medical records and any mental health treatment notes. A new provider abroad will appreciate them, and FMP may need them.
• Check medication rules before you fly. Rules for bringing medicines into a country vary a lot, and some medicines that are routine in the U.S. are restricted elsewhere. Check the destination country's embassy or health ministry site before you pack. Our prescriptions abroad post goes deeper.
• Ask about language. Therapy in your second language is hard work. In larger cities, look for English-speaking providers through embassy lists or international hospitals.
• Consider U.S.-licensed telehealth carefully. Some U.S. therapists see clients by video, but licensing rules for treating someone who lives abroad vary. Ask the provider directly before you start. Also know that FMP only covers care when you and the provider are in the same foreign country, including telehealth, so FMP will not pay a therapist based in the U.S.
• Do not go it alone. Other veterans in your city have often already found the good clinics. OCONUS Veterans meetups are a low-pressure way to ask.

Example (hypothetical): a veteran in Chiang Mai rated for PTSD finds an English-speaking psychiatrist at a private hospital. She pays at each visit, keeps the itemized bills and receipts, and files them with a 10-7959f-2 cover sheet every few months, well inside the 2-year window. (This is an illustration, not a real case.)

Common questions

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Published September 10, 2026. Information only, not legal, tax, immigration or medical advice. Confirm with the official sources.