VA benefits in the Philippines: the Manila office, the clinic and the Foreign Medical Program

The Philippines is the one country outside the US where VA runs both a benefits office and a clinic. That's a big deal, but the clinic has a narrow front door: it treats service-connected conditions only.

The short version

• Two VA offices, one address. The VA Manila Regional Office (benefits) and the Manila VA Outpatient Clinic (health care) share the US Embassy's Seafront Compound at 1501 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City [1][2].
• The clinic is the only VA facility in a foreign country, and it treats veterans only for VA-rated service-connected disabilities or conditions that aggravate them [1].
• The Foreign Medical Program (FMP) pays private doctors and hospitals for the same service-connected care. You have 2 years from the date of care to file a claim [3][4].
• Appointments are required at both offices, and you can't bring a phone, laptop or smartwatch inside [1][2].
• Filipino WWII-era veterans have their own rules, including a half-dollar rate for some service unless they live in the US [6][7].

The two VA offices in Manila

It's easy to blur these together, because they sit in the same building and share a gate. They do different jobs.

The building is on Roxas Boulevard next to the Cuneta Astrodome, between Gil Puyat (Buendia) and EDSA. VA's directions say to turn onto the Seafront Compound service road just past the Embassy of Japan; the VA building is on the left as you face the embassy gate [2]. Parking is limited, so take a Grab.

What to bring, and what to leave at home

Embassy security rules apply. Cameras, cell phones, tablets, laptops and wearables that can record (smartwatches, smart glasses) aren't allowed in the compound [1][2]. Leave them at home or with whoever drops you off, because there's no guarantee of a place to stash them.

Bring:

1. A current, unexpired photo ID.
2. A copy of your DD214.
3. Copies of relevant medical records, including any FMP records.
4. Your Social Security number and direct deposit details.
5. Dates of birth and Social Security numbers for dependents, if your visit involves them [1][2].

The clinic is also closed on all major US and Philippine holidays [1], so check before you trek across town on, say, Independence Day (that's June 12 here, not the Fourth of July).

Who the Manila clinic can treat

This is the part that surprises veterans who are used to a VA medical center back home. Outside the US and its territories, VA health care eligibility is different. The Manila clinic and FMP cover care only for:

• a VA-rated service-connected disability, or
• a disability that is associated with and held to be aggravating a service-connected one [1].

That comes straight from federal law (38 U.S.C. 1724 and 38 C.F.R. 17.35) [1]. If you have a 30% rating for knee problems, the clinic can treat your knees. It can't take over your diabetes or your annual checkup unless VA has tied that condition to your rated disability.

For everything else, you need your own cover: PhilHealth, a local HMO plan or international insurance. Medicare generally won't pay for care in the Philippines either, which is why many retirees here keep a private plan.

Pharmacy by courier

The clinic's pharmacy mails medications around the country. Its own delivery estimates are 2 to 3 days in Metro Manila, 2 to 5 days elsewhere on Luzon, 3 to 7 days in the Visayas and 5 to 7 days in Mindanao [1]. You can request refills by phone, through toll-free lines for PLDT, Smart and Globe subscribers, or online in My HealtheVet [1].

Heads-up for insulin users: the clinic says it may not be able to ship perishable or refrigerated medications to areas its courier can't serve. In that case you can buy them locally and file for reimbursement through FMP if they're for a covered condition [1].

The Foreign Medical Program: getting paid back

FMP is how VA pays for service-connected care from private doctors and hospitals abroad. You can use any licensed provider in the country [3]. Live in Cebu, Davao or Baguio? You don't have to fly to Manila for every visit.

There are two ways a claim gets paid [4]:

• Your provider files, and VA pays the provider directly.
• You pay and file yourself, and VA pays you back.

To file yourself, you can go online, or send VA Form 10-7959f-2 (the FMP Claim Cover Sheet) with supporting documents by email to HAC.FMP@va.gov, by mail to VHA Office of Integrated Veteran Care, Foreign Medical Program, PO Box 200, Spring City, PA 19475, or by fax [4].

What a clean claim looks like

1. An itemized bill with the provider's full name and medical title, addresses, phone number, the conditions treated and the dates of care [4].
2. Proof of payment, like a receipt or a statement marked "paid" [4].
3. Extras for certain care: a discharge summary (and operation report) for a hospital stay, a prescription for equipment, or a prescription plus pharmacy receipt for medicines [4].
4. English helps. VA will translate other languages, but it adds time [4]. Most Philippine hospitals bill in English anyway.
5. File within 2 years of the date of care, or of discharge if you were admitted [4].

VA pays into a US bank account if it has one on file, or mails a check otherwise [4]. To check which conditions FMP covers for you, download your FMP benefits letter from the Letters section of VA.gov [3]. The Manila Regional Office page also lists a dedicated VA email for Manila FMP questions [2].

Claims and C&P exams from the Philippines

Filing a disability claim works the same way it does stateside: online at VA.gov, with help from the Manila office's benefit counselors, or through an accredited representative [2]. The Regional Office runs free virtual trainings on disability compensation and holds outreach days in nearby provinces [2].

The Manila page lists VA-accredited representatives from the American Legion and the VFW based in Angeles City, Olongapo and Cebu, plus accredited claims agents [2]. VA's message is clear: use an accredited representative and protect your benefits from unlawful fees [2]. If someone at a bar in Angeles offers to "fix" your rating for a cut of the back pay, that's your cue to walk away.

Compensation and pension (C&P) exams. VA or one of its contract examiners schedules these. In the US, contractors try to book within 50 miles (about 80 km) of home, or 100 miles for specialists [5]. One contractor publishes a separate number for veterans outside the continental US [5]. Two things to know from the Philippines:

• No travel pay. Veterans who live outside the US and its territories aren't eligible for exam travel reimbursement [5].
• Don't skip it. Missing an exam delays your claim, and VA may decide it on the evidence it already has. Good cause, like a hospital stay or a death in the family, gets you a new date [5]. In typhoon season, call as soon as you know you can't make it.

Taxes are simpler: VA disability compensation generally isn't taxable on your US return, though a US expat tax preparer can check your situation if you also have pensions or Philippine income.

Filipino veterans: the half-dollar rule

Many veterans in the Philippines served with the Philippine Scouts, the Commonwealth Army or recognized guerrilla units in World War II, and their families still deal with VA today. Federal regulations treat these groups differently [6]:

The reduced rate goes up to the full-dollar rate if the veteran or survivor lives in the US and is a US citizen or green card holder [7]. To keep it, they must be physically in the US at least 183 days each calendar year and not leave for more than 60 days in a row without good cause [7]. Survivors who move back to the Philippines drop to the half rate, and VA expects to hear about the move within 30 days [7].

Congress also created a one-time Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation payment in 2009; that application window closed long ago. If you're helping a lolo or lola with an old claim, the Manila office is the right first stop.

Staying connected

Sign up for STEP so the embassy can reach you, and save the embassy's emergency line, (+63) 2 5301-2000 [8]. For advice from other vets on FMP paperwork or local doctors, ask in our community group for Americans in the Philippines.

Sources

1. VA: Manila VA Clinic (eligibility, hours, pharmacy)
2. VA: VA Regional Benefit Office at U.S. Embassy in Manila (updated November 2, 2026)
3. VA: Foreign Medical Program
4. VA: File a VA Foreign Medical Program claim
5. VA: VA claim exam (C&P exam)
6. 38 CFR 3.40: Philippine and Insular Forces (Cornell LII)
7. 38 CFR 3.42: Compensation at the full-dollar rate for certain Filipino veterans (Cornell LII)
8. US Embassy in the Philippines: U.S. citizen services

Keep reading

• Healthcare and health insurance in Manila
• PhilHealth and private hospitals in Manila
• The SRRV retirement visa in the Philippines
• Medicare when you live abroad