Veterans in Panama
Thousands of U.S. veterans have made Panama home. Your VA and military income keeps paying here, it can qualify you for permanent residency, and residency brings discounts on everyday life. We connect you with the attorneys, doctors, clinics and banks who know how to work with veterans, and we stay with you through the move.
What is available to you
Most veterans ask us about the same six things. Choose the one that matters most to you and ask us about it.
Every veteran's situation is different. We start with yours.
Regenerative medicine
Many veterans live with pain or injuries that years of standard treatment have not resolved. Panama is one of the leading places in the region for stem cell treatment, and we work directly with one of its most established clinics. It reaches you through us: we introduce you, we look for the best price for you, and we stay in touch from your first call to your follow up.
What veterans ask our partner clinic about
About the clinic
The first stem cell center of its kind to earn AABB accreditation, with ISO certified cell manufacturing and FDA registration as a cell and tissue establishment.
Mesenchymal stem cells produced in the clinic's own laboratory under cGMP quality standards.
Five days in Panama City, Monday to Friday, at a private center on the 48th floor of a Punta Pacífica tower. Former professional athletes have been treated there.
You share your health history, the clinic's doctors confirm whether you are a candidate, and they design your protocol. Follow up continues after you return home.
Treatment is decided by the clinic's own medical review and results vary from person to person. Stem cell treatments are not approved by the FDA for these conditions in the United States, and VA programs generally do not cover them.
Pensionado benefits
These are not veteran discounts. They come with Panama's pensioner status, and your VA or military pension is what gets you there. They are set by law and apply wherever you show your residency card.
25% at sit down restaurants and 15% at fast food chains.
50% on weekdays and 30% on weekends.
50% on cinemas, concerts, theater and sports events.
25% on airline tickets from Panama.
Discounts on private hospital bills, doctors, dental care and prescriptions.
25% on electricity, water and phone, up to set consumption limits.
A one time tax free import of household goods up to $10,000, and a car every two years.
Some businesses still need reminding. Ask for the discount before you pay. Exact rates are set by Law 6 of 1987 and its amendments.
Healthcare
Panama City has private hospitals with U.S. trained doctors, and costs are a fraction of the U.S. Here is how veterans usually cover their care.
How it works
Your benefits, your health priorities, where you want to live and when.
Residency path, healthcare, treatment and budget, in plain language.
Attorney, clinic, doctors, bank and real estate, all people we know and work with.
Through the move and after it, with a community of veterans who already live here.
Talk to us
Leave your details and a member of our team will contact you personally. No cost and no obligation.
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Questions
Yes. VA disability compensation, military retirement pay and Social Security continue when you live abroad. Most veterans keep a U.S. bank account for the deposits, and the VA plans to offer direct deposit to Panamanian banks.
It can, when it is paid for life and meets the income requirement: $1,000 a month, or $750 a month if you also buy property worth $100,000 or more. Your VA award letter is the key document. The attorney we introduce you to reviews it before you apply.
No. The discounts come with pensioner residency, which your VA or military pension can qualify you for. Once you have it, they apply to you like any other pensioner.
Generally not. The Foreign Medical Program covers care for service connected conditions that the VA would cover at home. This is why we work with our partner clinic to find you the best price.
Yes. There are English speaking therapists, the Foreign Medical Program covers treatment for service connected PTSD, and our partner clinic reviews veterans with PTSD symptoms for its regenerative programs. If you are in crisis, contact the Veterans Crisis Line by chat at veteranscrisisline.net, from anywhere in the world.
Yes. U.S. citizens file wherever they live. Panama taxes only income earned in Panama, so pensions and benefits paid from the U.S. are generally not taxed here. Confirm your own case with a tax adviser.
Panama City for hospitals and convenience, Coronado and the Pacific beaches for a slower pace, and Boquete and David in the Chiriquí highlands for a cooler climate.
It may. Members of Congress have pushed for VA claims for herbicide exposure in the former Canal Zone. A veterans service officer can tell you where that stands for you.
Everything Panama is an introduction service. We are not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense or TRICARE. Nothing on this page is medical, legal, tax or financial advice. Benefits, rates and requirements change, and the professionals we introduce you to confirm them for your situation.