The Ultimate Guide to VA Benefits for Disabled Veterans Living Overseas

Veterans choose to live or retire overseas for many reasons. Some want to continue the adventure of seeing the world after a career of visiting countries around the globe. Some marry and settle down with a non-U.S. citizen, adopting a new country as their home. Regardless of the reason, one of the most significant questions on the minds of disabled American veterans living overseas is “Does my choice of residence affect my VA disability benefits?”

Fortunately, only a few veterans’ benefits are limited to vets residing out of the states. Most of the VA’s programs are available to disabled American veterans living overseas. Moreover, overseas veterans still qualify for social security benefits and tax benefits, making retirement outside the U.S. almost as comfortable as retirement at home.

VA Disability Claim Process for Disabled American Veterans Living Overseas

Veterans residing outside the country are eligible for VA disability benefits just like any other disabled veteran. In fact, with the VA’s online claim application, most overseas veterans can file a VA disability claim with supporting evidence from anywhere you can access the internet.

How Do Disabled Veterans Living Overseas Receive Compensation and Pension (C&P) Examinations?

After filing a VA disability claim, the VA may require a C&P examination to have a record of your medical condition. Usually, this examination is conducted by a VA doctor at a VA medical center. However, for disabled veterans living overseas, this is not always possible since the nearest VA medical center may be thousands of miles away.

There are three ways the VA handles C&P examinations outside the U.S.:

• Local doctors: The VA can contract with local doctors to perform C&P examinations.
• Military doctors: For veterans living in countries like Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, and Spain, the U.S. military maintains a large enough presence that it can have military doctors on the ground perform C&P examinations. For example, disabled American veterans living in Germany may be able to have their C&P examinations performed at a nearby U.S. military hospital.
• Traveling VA doctors: The VA has tested programs to send VA doctors abroad to conduct batches of C&P examinations. However, these test programs have been conducted only sporadically and are not a regular part of the VA’s C&P examination system.

During a C&P examination, the doctor will try to determine the existence and severity of the disability. The doctor will also interview you to know how long you have suffered from the disability and whether the disability has improved or worsened.

Reexaminations of Disabled American Veterans Living Overseas

Compared to the information provided about overseas C&P examinations, the VA provides very little information about how it handles overseas reexaminations after VA disability claims are approved. That said, the VA requires a reexamination two to five years after the award of VA disability benefits to determine whether the veteran’s condition has changed. This doesn’t apply to veterans who have been found permanently disabled.

These reexaminations are conducted at a VA medical center for veterans living in the U.S. However, for disabled veterans living overseas, arranging a trip to the nearest VA medical center may be impossible, even with two to five years advance notice.

Fortunately, the VA requires veterans to schedule their reexamination during a specified time window to keep their disability benefits. During the scheduling call, the veteran can ask about the VA’s policy for overseas veterans at that time and attempt to schedule a more convenient reexamination appointment. For example, disabled American veterans living in Thailand may be able to travel to Okinawa or even arrange for a local doctor to perform the reexamination appointment rather than flying all the way to the U.S.

Can Disabled Veterans Living Overseas Work While Receiving VA Disability Benefits?

Yes. Some veterans do not retire overseas. Rather, they go overseas for work. State and federal governments often offer overseas jobs for disabled veterans because of their experience working and living overseas. Being unable to work is not a requirement for VA disability benefits, so many veterans continue to work while receiving a VA disability check.

Moreover, the VA disability benefits program does not penalize veterans for working, whether they live in the U.S. or outside the country. While VA disability benefits are intended to replace a veteran’s lost earning capacity due to their disability, the VA does not means-test for disability benefits. Therefore, every veteran is entitled to full VA disability benefits, which are granted based on the disability, completely independent of the veteran’s employment, income, or assets.

Keep in mind that this is true for all veterans regardless of residence. If you choose to return to the U.S., you will still be able to work without losing your VA disability benefits or even facing a reduction in benefits because of your employment status.

The only wrench in working while you have Veteran’s disability benefits is that if you are trying to get TDIU and you want to prove that you can’t work, your job performance could work against you. TDIU is for veterans that can no longer work.

VA Healthcare for Disabled Veterans Living Overseas

Disabled veterans are entitled to VA healthcare as part of their VA disability benefits. For veterans with a disability rating below 50%, this healthcare covers medical treatment and prescription drugs for your service-connected disability. If you have a disability rating of 50% or higher, this healthcare covers all medical treatment and prescription drugs.

For veterans living in the U.S., VA healthcare is provided at VA medical centers, although the VA may authorize veterans to seek healthcare from community providers under certain circumstances. Disabled veterans living overseas, however, usually cannot reach a VA medical center for treatment.

The VA created the Foreign Medical Program (FMP) for veterans who are not living in the U.S. This program allows a veteran to seek medical care from a local provider and have the VA pay for the treatment. The local provider can either bill the VA directly or bill you. If the provider bills you, you can apply for reimbursement from the VA. Unfortunately, the VA does not pre-authorize foreign medical treatment. So, you and your local doctor will have to provide enough documentation to show that the medical treatment falls under FMP when you submit the claim for payment or reimbursement.

The FMP has a couple of limitations though:

• Excluded countries: Residents of Cuba, North Korea, and Iran are not eligible for FMP. This is because the VA cannot contract for medical care in countries subject to U.S. travel restrictions or financial sanctions.
• Limited treatment: By statute, FMP can only be used for medical treatment of a veteran’s service-connected disability or conditions that aggravate the service-connected disability. This limitation applies even if your disability rating is over 50% and you would be entitled to all medical treatment if you resided in the U.S. For any foreign medical treatment outside of your service-connected disability, you will either need to pay out of pocket or have supplemental health insurance. The sole exception is for veterans living in the Philippines who may generally, but not always, receive treatment at the VA outpatient clinic in Manila for disability not connected to their service.

Also, for U.S. veterans moving to Canada, healthcare is delivered differently there than in the U.S. To use FMP benefits in Canada, you must work through the Canadian government’s Foreign Countries Operations office.

Non-Medical VA Benefits for Disabled Veterans Living Overseas

Although the medical benefits are limited in significant ways for overseas veterans, almost all non-medical benefits available for veterans living in the U.S. are available to veterans living overseas. The one notable exception is the VA home loan program. To be eligible for a VA home loan, the home must be in the U.S.

Other benefits available to overseas veterans include:

• Education benefits: You can use your GI Bill education benefits at schools outside the U.S. with pre-authorization from the VA.
• Pension: A VA pension can be paid to disabled veterans living overseas who meet the age, disability, and financial qualifications. This benefit can also be paid to the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran living overseas.
• Adaptive housing grant: If a veteran’s disability requires remodeling of their home to install grab bars, ramps, or other adaptations, the VA can provide a grant to cover the cost up to a pre-determined cap.
• Burial: Veterans receiving disability compensation at the time of their death are eligible for allowances for a funeral, burial plot, and transportation of the remains to a national cemetery. These allowances will probably not cover the entire cost. However, they can help to offset the expenses.

The VA maintains a page for veterans who live overseas or are planning to move overseas. This page contains all the VA benefits available to overseas veterans. It also covers some of the practical considerations for receiving VA benefits outside of the U.S., such as how the VA will deposit your benefits payments and how it will handle currency conversions.

Non-VA Benefits and Resources for Disabled Veterans Living Overseas

Veterans living outside the U.S. are eligible for other benefits, including social security benefits, if the veteran otherwise qualifies for social security. That is, living overseas is not a barrier to collecting social security benefits. This includes retirement benefits, disability benefits, and survivor benefits paid by the Social Security Administration.

However, if a veteran’s spouse or children are not U.S. citizens and the veteran dies overseas, the survivor benefits will be paid to the surviving spouse and dependents for just six months unless they establish residency in the U.S.

Although a veteran’s VA disability benefits are not subject to federal income tax, the veteran’s other incomes remain taxable even if they reside outside the U.S. However, all U.S. citizens living outside the U.S. receive an automatic two-month extension to file their taxes every year. You might already be familiar with this since it applies to everyone.

Resources for Disabled Veterans Living Overseas

The Social Security Administration (SSA) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provide webpages for all U.S. citizens who live overseas, regardless of their veteran status. The SSA and IRS pages address how to receive and make payments and where to find help with social security or tax problems.

Another handy resource is the U.S. Agency for International Development’s website, which provides job listings for expat veterans.

Benefits of Hiring a VA Lawyer for Disabled Veterans Living Overseas

Hiring Woods & Woods, a U.S.-based VA law firm, to shepherd your VA disability claim has many advantages:

• Pre-filing review: Our VA disability lawyers can review your claim before you file it to catch mistakes and help you to ensure the application is complete. This will reduce the risk of receiving a claim denial for a minor error after waiting up to three years for the claim to be processed.
• Answer your questions: Woods & Woods, a law firm with 35 years of experience in filing VA disability claims, can answer your questions about your disability benefits. We have a large staff available around the clock so you can call whenever it is convenient in your time zone. Our staff is also fluent in many languages in case the veteran’s non-English-speaking spouse is the one calling.
• Act as a point of contact: We can communicate with the VA on your behalf to ensure every piece of correspondence from the VA is received and responded to promptly.
• Respond to VA: If your VA disability claim is denied, our firm can help you to prepare a response.

Finally, as lawyers who are familiar with the VA disability claim process and the eligibility requirements for various veterans’ benefits, Woods & Woods can help you sort through the programs available to you when you live abroad. This will ensure that you receive all the benefits entitled to you as a disabled veteran living outside the United States.

Whether you are already living abroad or planning a move, contact a VA attorney to discuss the benefits available to disabled veterans living overseas. Our VA lawyers can provide advice and assistance regardless of your residence and whether you were deployed during your service.