Veterans and Military Retirees in France: How TRICARE For Life and the VA Foreign Medical Program Work and What They Do Not Cover (2026)
By Aurelio Maurici Co-Founder, Master of Business Law, Aix-Marseille Université III
Published
A military retiree or a veteran who moves to France has two federal programs to think about, and they do different things. TRICARE For Life is a wraparound for retirees with Medicare Parts A and B, and it keeps working overseas, with TRICARE paying first because Medicare does not pay outside the United States. The VA Foreign Medical Program pays for care abroad only for a service-connected disability. Neither is a substitute for French coverage, and the reason a military retiree must keep paying a Medicare premium from France is on TRICARE’s own pages.
The Short Answer
| TRICARE For Life | VA Foreign Medical Program | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Medicare-wraparound coverage for people who are TRICARE-eligible and have Medicare Part A and Part B | VA coverage of care received outside the U.S. for a service-connected condition |
| Who pays in France | TRICARE, as the primary payer, because Medicare does not cover care there | VA, for care of the conditions it covers |
| What you must keep | Medicare Part B, and pay its premiums | Nothing to enrol in; a benefits letter lists the conditions covered |
| What you pay | TRICARE’s annual deductible and cost-shares, and anything not covered | Anything not related to a service-connected condition |
| Claims deadline | Three years for care overseas | 2 years from the date of the care |
Source: tricare.mil (TRICARE For Life, using TFL overseas, medical claims); va.gov (Foreign Medical Program).
For how Medicare itself behaves from France, and the trade-offs of keeping Part B, see Medicare in France, part by part. This guide covers the two military-specific programs.
TRICARE For Life in France
TRICARE describes TRICARE For Life, TFL, as Medicare-wraparound coverage if you are TRICARE-eligible and have Medicare Part A and Part B, regardless of age or place of residence. Coverage does not extend to family members. You do not enrol in it: it is automatic once you have Parts A and B, starting on the first day both are in effect, and it is available worldwide. You pay no enrolment fee, but you must pay the Medicare Part B premium, which the page says is based on your income.
Overseas, TRICARE pays first. The page says Medicare provides coverage in the U.S. and U.S. territories and not in any other overseas location. When you use TFL anywhere else, whether you live or travel there, TRICARE is the primary payer, and you are responsible for TRICARE’s annual deductible and cost-shares.
You must keep Part B. The page says that if you live overseas you must have Part B to remain eligible for TRICARE even though Medicare does not provide coverage overseas. The retiree FAQ repeats it: if you have Medicare, you must keep Part B even though it does not cover care overseas, and TFL is your primary payer. If you do not have Medicare, the FAQ says you must enrol in TRICARE Select Overseas instead.
This is the point that changes the usual advice about Part B. A retiree with no military coverage may decide to drop Part B to save the premium. For a TRICARE For Life beneficiary living overseas, TRICARE’s pages say Part B is required to remain eligible, so dropping it puts that eligibility at risk.
Update your address. The FAQ says you must update your address in DEERS, and that moving is a qualifying life event. TRICARE also says to check DEERS regularly, and its claims page says incorrect DEERS information could cause a claim to be denied.
Filing a TRICARE Claim for Care in France
The TFL claims FAQ sets out who files:
| If you have | And you get care | You |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare and TRICARE | In the United States or its territories | Do nothing: your provider files with Medicare, which forwards the claim |
| Medicare and TRICARE | Overseas | File a claim with the TRICARE Overseas Program contractor, online through the secure claims portal |
| Medicare, TRICARE and other health insurance | Overseas | File with the overseas contractor after your other insurer has processed the claim |
Source: tricare.mil (FAQ on TFL claims, 30 October 2024).
International SOS is the TRICARE overseas contractor. The TFL overseas page says to register on its website for secure functions, including an eligibility query, other health insurance status, claim status, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, and explanations of benefits.
TRICARE’s medical claims page adds what to send for care received overseas:
- Proof of payment with every overseas claim, including care during a trip. If you paid the provider directly, write the amount paid at the top of the claim form, DD Form 2642.
- An itemized bill or invoice. A balance-due statement is not acceptable.
- A diagnosis describing why the care was needed.
- An explanation of benefits from other health insurance, such as travel insurance or employer coverage, if you have it. Supplemental insurance plans do not qualify as other health insurance.
- Proof that you paid: for example a copy of the check, a credit card receipt, an electronic funds transfer receipt, a bank statement showing the payment to the provider, or a receipt or itemized bill stamped paid.
The page also says TRICARE pays second to most other health insurance, including travel insurance, and that claims must be filed within three years if the care was overseas, against one year in the U.S. and its territories, though it encourages filing as soon as possible.
If you also hold a French complementary policy, the guide to the mutuelle explains what it covers. Whether a French policy counts as other health insurance for TRICARE is not stated in the pages I read, so ask International SOS.
The VA Foreign Medical Program
VA describes the Foreign Medical Program, FMP, as covering the cost of medical care you get in a country outside the U.S. for a service-connected condition. It covers medically necessary services that meet one of three descriptions:
- the services are for a VA-rated, service-connected disability;
- they are for a condition associated with a service-connected disability that VA determines makes it worse, for example non-service-connected depression associated with a service-connected condition of post-traumatic stress disorder;
- they are part of care you receive while taking part in VA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment program.
The page says you can use FMP only for care in a foreign country, and that care or supplies in or from the U.S. or its territories are not covered.
How it works. You are already eligible if you need care abroad for a VA-rated service-connected disability. The FMP benefits letter, which you get by signing in to VA.gov and choosing Letters, lists the conditions covered and says how the provider submits claims. VA says to share it with your provider and ask them to file for you, and that you can choose any licensed healthcare provider in the country where you live.
What FMP Covers and Does Not
| Covered, when for the service-connected condition | Not covered |
|---|---|
| Outpatient care, inpatient care, emergency and urgent care | Care not related to the service-connected disability |
| Medical equipment, devices and supplies, including prosthetics | Long-term care in nursing homes, assisted living, mental health facilities or adult day health centers |
| Skilled nursing care and physical therapy | Non-medical home care or companion services |
| FDA-approved prescription medicines | Experimental treatments and medicines that are not FDA approved |
| Travel costs; health club, spa or exercise memberships; care received in a U.S. state or territory |
Source: va.gov (getting care through the Foreign Medical Program, 30 April 2026).
Filing an FMP Claim
If the provider files, VA pays the provider directly. If not, you pay and file yourself, online, by email, by mail or by fax, with the claim cover sheet, VA Form 10-7959f-2. VA asks for an itemized billing statement from the provider, with the provider’s name, title, addresses, the conditions treated and the dates, and proof that you paid. Ask the provider for English documents where possible, because translation adds processing time.
You must file within 2 years of the date you got the care, or of your discharge if you were admitted. VA converts the claim into U.S. dollars using the rate on the date of care. If it has a U.S. bank account on file it deposits the payment there, and otherwise it mails a check; for an international bank account it mails a U.S. Treasury check, and direct deposit to an international account has to be arranged through Ask VA. You have 1 year from the original decision to ask for a reconsideration.
What Neither Covers
Both programs are about medical care, not about the cost of living in a care home. VA says its program does not cover long-term care in nursing homes or assisted living. Medicare.gov says Medicare does not pay for long-term care, and TRICARE’s pages I read do not address it. The French aid for a nursing home, and what Medicare leaves out, are in the guide to long-term care in France.
What I Could Not Settle From the Pages
- TRICARE’s cost-share amounts for retirees overseas. They are on a page I did not read, so I give none.
- How TRICARE For Life and the VA program interact when both could apply to the same service. The pages I read do not explain it. Ask International SOS and the FMP office.
- How French public insurance fits. TRICARE’s pages say nothing about it. How an American joins the French system is in the guide to registering with CPAM, and what French care costs is in Is Healthcare Free in France?.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does TRICARE For Life work in France?
Yes. TRICARE says it is available worldwide, and that when you use it overseas TRICARE is the primary payer and you pay its annual deductible and cost-shares.
Do I need to keep Medicare Part B if I move to France?
For TRICARE For Life, yes. TRICARE says that if you live overseas you must have Part B to remain eligible, even though Medicare does not provide coverage overseas.
Who files my claim for care in France?
You do, with the TRICARE overseas contractor, International SOS, after you pay the provider and after any other health insurance has processed the claim. TRICARE says the claim must be filed within three years.
What does the VA Foreign Medical Program cover?
Medically necessary care outside the U.S. for a VA-rated service-connected disability, a condition VA determines aggravates it, or care tied to its Veteran Readiness and Employment program. VA says it does not cover long-term care in nursing homes or assisted living.
How long do I have to file a VA claim?
VA says within 2 years of the date you got the care, or of the hospital discharge.
Can I choose any doctor in France?
For the VA program, VA says you can choose any licensed healthcare provider in the country where you live or travel. For TRICARE, International SOS handles finding a provider, as its overseas page says.
Where do I find which conditions VA covers?
In your FMP benefits letter, which you get by signing in to VA.gov and choosing Letters.
Conclusion
For a military retiree in France, TRICARE For Life is primary where Medicare does not pay, which is why TRICARE requires you to keep Part B. You file claims yourself with International SOS, with proof of payment, within three years. For a veteran with a service-connected disability, the VA Foreign Medical Program pays for related care abroad, with claims within 2 years. Neither covers a nursing home, so plan for that separately, and confirm with each program how they work together for you.
How do you plan to handle French healthcare?
Written by
Aurelio Maurici
Co-Founder, EasyFranceNow
Aurelio Maurici is a French entrepreneur and co-founder of EasyFranceNow. His work focuses on the intersection of French administration, banking constraints affecting U.S. nationals, tax residency and cross-border reporting, healthcare enrollment, and the procedural realities Americans encounter while settling in France.
