In short: The VA’s Foreign Medical Program (FMP) pays for care a veteran gets outside the US, but only care that is medically necessary for a VA-rated, service-connected disability, a condition VA finds is aggravating it, or care within the VR&E programme. In Guatemala you can use any licensed provider, with no referral and no prior authorization. Either the provider files the claim and VA pays them, or you pay and file within 2 years. VA mails a U.S. Treasury check if your bank on file is foreign, and the exchange rate used is the one on the date of care. FMP does not mail prescriptions to Guatemala, and VA lists no toll-free FMP number for Guatemala. Everything else in your medical life here needs separate cover. All read on va.gov on 2 October 2026.
This page is for a US veteran with a service-connected rating who lives in Guatemala or travels here. For health cover beyond your rated conditions, see health insurance for expats in Guatemala. If you are a military retiree, TRICARE is a separate programme with its own rules: see TRICARE in Guatemala.
The decision table
| Your question | What VA says | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Does FMP cover me in Guatemala? | Yes, for care of a VA-rated, service-connected disability, a condition VA determines aggravates it, or VR&E care | va.gov, FMP page |
| Do I need to register? | You are already eligible if you need care abroad for a VA-rated, service-connected disability | va.gov, FMP page |
| Which providers? | Any licensed provider in the country where you live or travel; not a barred provider | va.gov, getting care through FMP |
| Referral or pre-approval? | Not needed (except VR&E care for a non-service-connected condition) | va.gov, getting care through FMP |
| Claim deadline | 2 years from the date of care, or from discharge if admitted | va.gov, file an FMP claim |
| Paid how? | US bank on file: deposit. Foreign bank on file: mailed U.S. Treasury check | va.gov, file an FMP claim |
| Exchange rate | The rate on the date you received care | va.gov, file an FMP claim |
| Mail-order medicines from the US | Not sent, not covered | va.gov, getting care through FMP |
| Toll-free line from Guatemala | None listed | va.gov, FMP page |
Who FMP covers, and for what
VA’s FMP page puts it in one sentence: “If you’re a Veteran who gets medical care outside the U.S. for a service-connected condition, we may cover the cost of your care.” The care must be medically necessary and fit at least one of three descriptions:
- It is for a VA-rated, service-connected disability.
- It is for a condition associated with a service-connected disability that VA determines makes it worse. VA’s own example: with service-connected PTSD, it may cover care for non-service-connected depression, because the depression can be associated with the PTSD and make it worse.
- It is part of care you receive in the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) programme.
There is no separate enrolment step for the first case. VA says “You’re already eligible to use FMP if you need care in a foreign country for a VA-rated, service-connected disability.” The document to get before you need care is your FMP benefits letter: VA says it lists the conditions it covers and explains how the provider can submit claims. You download it from your VA.gov account under Letters, then Benefit letters and documents. VA’s suggestion is to share the letter with your provider and ask them to file the FMP claim for you.
FMP works only abroad. VA says “You can use FMP only for care you get in a foreign country. We won’t cover care or supplies you get in or from the U.S. or U.S. territories.”
What FMP covers in Guatemala, and what it doesn’t
VA’s list of covered care for a service-connected disability:
| Covered | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Outpatient care (office visits) | Care for anything not related to your service-connected disability |
| Inpatient care | Care not accepted by VA or the U.S. medical community, including experimental treatment and medicines that aren’t FDA-approved |
| Emergency and urgent care | Long-term care in nursing homes, assisted living, mental health facilities or adult day health centres |
| Medical equipment, devices and supplies your provider prescribes, including prosthetics | Non-medical home care or companion services |
| Skilled nursing care | Equipment with deluxe features, and health club, spa or exercise memberships |
| Physical therapy | Family planning and sterilization; gender-affirming care |
| FDA-approved prescription medicines | Travel costs, postage, late charges and check-cashing fees |
VA also excludes care received in a country “that doesn’t accept U.S. Treasury checks or doesn’t allow travel for U.S. citizens”, care through a grant, study or research programme, and care from a provider barred from the programme.
Dental care is covered only when it treats a service-connected disability, plus an exam and treatment within 90 days of discharge, or if your DD214 doesn’t show a complete dental exam and treatment before discharge.
Medicines. FMP reimburses FDA-approved medicines you buy abroad for your covered condition, but VA states: “No. FMP doesn’t send medicines by mail or cover mail-order medicines from the U.S.” For what you can bring into Guatemala and what MSPAS has registered locally, see bringing prescription medication to Guatemala.
Choosing a provider in Guatemala
VA’s rule is wide: “You can choose any licensed healthcare provider in the foreign country where you live or travel.” No referral is needed and no authorization: if you’re unsure whether FMP will cover a treatment, VA says you can ask through Ask VA.
Two things narrow it in practice, both in VA’s own text. VA will not pay a barred provider, and it has acted on that in the region: its FMP alerts page lists providers it suspended in Panama over a fraud scheme. That page named no Guatemalan provider when we read it on 2 October 2026. And VA translates foreign-language paperwork but warns that “Translation may add extra processing time for your claim”, so it asks veterans to choose a provider who can supply documents in English where possible. For hospital options and their phone numbers, see our hospitals in Guatemala City directory.
How to file an FMP claim from Guatemala
If the provider files, VA pays the provider directly. If the provider doesn’t, you pay and claim it back. VA gives four routes:
| Route | How |
|---|---|
| Online | VA’s online FMP claim |
| VA Form 10-7959f-2 (FMP Claim Cover Sheet) and documents to HAC.FMP@va.gov | |
| VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care, Foreign Medical Program (FMP), PO Box 200, Spring City, PA 19475 | |
| Fax | 303-331-7803 |
What to send with it. VA asks for an itemized bill showing the provider’s full name and medical title, office and billing addresses, phone number, the conditions treated and the dates, plus proof that you paid (a receipt or a bill marked paid). Then, by type of care:
- Hospital stay: the discharge summary, and the operation report if you had surgery.
- Equipment or supplies: the prescription, naming and describing the item, the condition, and how long you need it.
- Medicines: the prescription and the pharmacy receipt, showing the pharmacy’s name, address and phone, the drug’s name, dosage, strength, quantity and cost, the condition, the fill date, and the provider’s signature.
Deadline. VA says you must file within 2 years of the date of care, or of your hospital discharge if you were admitted.
If VA says no, you can ask it to reconsider. VA says to request the appeal within 1 year of the decision, by letter to VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care, Appeals, PO Box 600, Spring City, PA 19475, with any new supporting documents.
How VA pays you in Guatemala
This is where living here changes things. VA’s claims page sets out two cases:
- A US bank account on file: VA deposits the claim amount there.
- An international bank account on file: VA says “we’ll mail a U.S. Treasury check for the claim amount. To set up direct deposit for an international bank account, you’ll need to contact us through Ask VA.”
Either way the money is in dollars: “We’ll convert the claim amount into U.S. dollars when we pay your claim. And we’ll use the conversion rate from the date you received care.” If you pay a Guatemalan hospital in quetzales, the reimbursement is set by the exchange rate of that day, not the day VA pays. Our daily exchange-rate page shows the Banguat reference rate.
Phoning FMP from Guatemala
VA publishes toll-free FMP numbers for the US and Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom. Guatemala is not on that list (read 2 October 2026). The other routes VA gives on its claims page:
- Phone: 833-930-0816 (TTY 711), then option 3, Monday to Friday, 8:05 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. ET. It is a US number, not a Guatemalan toll-free line.
- Email: HAC.FMP@va.gov. VA asks you not to send sensitive personal or health information by email.
- Ask VA, its online contact form.
What FMP leaves uncovered
FMP pays for your rated conditions and nothing else. A broken wrist, a new heart problem unrelated to your rating, or a family member’s care all need other cover. Medicare doesn’t fill the gap here either: medicare.gov says “Medicare usually doesn’t cover health care while you’re traveling outside the U.S. but there are some exceptions”, and none of its exceptions describes living in Guatemala. The options a foreign resident can actually buy or join are on our health insurance for expats page. If you visit rather than live here, see Medicare on a trip to Guatemala.
Related pages
- TRICARE in Guatemala: TRICARE For Life and TRICARE Select Overseas
- Health insurance for expats in Guatemala
- Medicare on a trip to Guatemala
- Healthcare transition for returnees: Medicare, IGSS and private care
- Healthcare for retirees in Guatemala
- Bringing prescription medication to Guatemala
- Hospitals in Guatemala City
- Moving from the USA hub
Sources
All read 2 October 2026.
- VA: Foreign Medical Program (FMP) — eligibility, benefits letter, any licensed provider, toll-free number list (page last updated 6 August 2026)
- VA: File a VA Foreign Medical Program claim — four filing routes, documents, 2-year deadline, payment method, exchange rate, appeals, phone line
- VA: Getting care through the Foreign Medical Program — covered and excluded care, dental, mail-order medicines, referrals
- VA: Foreign Medical Program alerts — Panama provider suspensions
- Medicare.gov: Travel outside the U.S.
This page describes VA’s published rules. It is not advice on your claim; VA decides each claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the VA cover medical care in Guatemala?
Only through the Foreign Medical Program (FMP), and only for care tied to your service-connected disability. VA says FMP covers medically necessary care that is for a VA-rated, service-connected disability, for a condition VA determines makes that disability worse, or part of its Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) programme. It is not general health insurance for other conditions.
Do I need to register or get approval before using FMP in Guatemala?
VA says you are already eligible to use FMP if you need care abroad for a VA-rated, service-connected disability, and that you don’t need a referral or prior authorization. Your FMP benefits letter, downloadable from your VA.gov account under Letters, lists the conditions VA covers and tells your provider how to submit claims. The exception is VR&E care for a non-service-connected condition, which needs a referral from your VR&E case manager first.
Can I see any doctor or hospital in Guatemala?
VA’s words are that you can choose any licensed health care provider in the foreign country where you live or travel. It will not pay a provider or facility barred from the programme. VA’s FMP alerts page, read on 2 October 2026, listed suspended providers in Panama and none in Guatemala.
How do I file an FMP claim from Guatemala?
If your Guatemalan provider files for you, VA pays the provider directly. If not, you pay and claim it back in one of four ways: online, by email to HAC.FMP@va.gov, by mail to VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care, Foreign Medical Program (FMP), PO Box 200, Spring City, PA 19475, or by fax to 303-331-7803. The paper routes use VA Form 10-7959f-2 plus an itemized bill and proof of payment. VA says you must file within 2 years of the date of care, or of discharge if you were admitted.
Will VA pay into my Guatemalan bank account?
Not by default. VA says that if it has an international bank account on file for you, it mails a U.S. Treasury check, and that to set up direct deposit to an international account you contact it through Ask VA. With a US bank account on file it deposits the payment there. It converts the claim to dollars at the exchange rate of the date you received care.
Does FMP mail my prescriptions to Guatemala?
No. VA states that FMP doesn’t send medicines by mail or cover mail-order medicines from the U.S. FMP can reimburse FDA-approved prescription medicines for your service-connected condition that you buy abroad, with the prescription and a pharmacy receipt.
Is there a toll-free FMP number from Guatemala?
Not on VA’s list, read 2 October 2026. VA publishes toll-free FMP numbers for the US and Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain and the UK. From Guatemala, the routes VA gives are its claims line, 833-930-0816 (option 3, Monday to Friday 8:05 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. ET), email, or Ask VA online.
