Travel for veterans is a critical process for acquiring VA-related claims. Physical presence in VA facilities is a must to conduct proper assessments and evaluations to determine your eligibility for VA claims. The VA Travel Pay Program and Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS) provide an interface for veterans to pass and track their travel claims.
BTSSS VA Travel Pay program can also help veterans’ beneficiaries or their caregivers by reimbursing their travel costs through electronic funds transfer, if the travel is related to processing the veteran’s VA claim.
The J4V team is a veterans coaching firm dedicated to helping veterans obtain their VA claims, including the VA travel claim and resolving VA travel pay problems. Let us uncover more about your eligibility and the expenses covered by the VA travel pay program in this blog post.
Who is eligible for VA beneficiary travel?
Veterans are eligible for VA travel reimbursement if they travel to the nearest VA health facility.
If you live in a community with no VA health facility, the VA can reimburse your travel expenses for a non-VA care health facility they’ve approved in advance, except selected emergency situations.
You should also possess at least one of these:
- 30% or higher VA disability rating
- If you have a VA disability rating of 30% or lower, you are still eligible for travel reimbursement if the purpose of the trip is to seek treatment for a service-connected condition.
- You are a pension recipient who has a total income below the maximum annual VA pension rate.
- Must possess at least one reason:
- Attending a scheduled Compensation and Pension Exam
- Attending VA-approved transplant care for service-related conditions
- Getting a service dog
As per the VA guidelines, you can still be eligible for a VA travel pay program if it is proven that you cannot afford to pay for your travel at all. In most cases, a veteran seeks a caregiver or a beneficiary to help them with the necessary legwork.
If you are a caregiver, then you are eligible for compensation for your expenses in transportation, lodging, and even your meals, if you fulfill these requirements:
- A caregiver or a trainee for the National Caregiver Support Program – you receive coverage for your travel expenses if you are in a training program.
- A required medical attendant accompanying a veteran
- You are a support person or a transplant care donor.
What are the travel expenses covered by VA travel reimbursement?
The VA can cover the following travel expenses:
- Mileage
- It includes the travel time to and from your scheduled visits.
- Tolls
- Fees you’ve incurred from driving to roads, bridges, and/or tunnels.
- Fares
- If you use taxis or planes as your method of transportation, the VA can pay for your fare.
- Tickets
- Subways, trains, buses, ferries, or lights
The VA can also pay for your parking fees and other transportation that uses specially equipped vehicles like ambulances or wheelchair vans. However, you can only receive reimbursements for specially equipped vehicles if required and approved by the VA.
There are situations where you can receive compensation for the cost of meals and lodging.
The VA can also cover the travel expenses of an allied beneficiary when a foreign government faction permits it or when its agency approves the services of another agency.
When a foreign government agency has allowed the care of an allied beneficiary or when a federal agency has approved the care of a beneficiary of another agency, the VA may additionally cover those costs.
The VA also covers travel expenses for decisions involving a veteran traveling to a different VA facility. It often occurs when the specific VA facility of your choice lacks the resources to address your disability.
If it is a non-VA health facility, you will receive compensation for travel if approved in advance.
Current VA Mileage Reimbursement Rate
The VA approved mileage payments of 41.5 cents ($0.415) per mile for health-related travel.
To calculate your mileage, the VA utilizes online maps like Bing Maps and checks out the shortest and fastest route from where you live to the closest authorized or non-authorized VA health facility that meets your needs.
For your planned appointments, the VA will reimburse your round-trip mileage. They are limited to paying return mileage for unscheduled visits.
Filing a VA Travel Reimbursement Claim Online
When filing for a travel reimbursement, you will need to set up a direct deposit with the VA. If you do not have a direct deposit the VA will request you to file a request form, otherwise known as VA Form 10091. You may get the said form here: Get VA Form 10091 (PDF).
1. Travel Claim Entry Portal Sign-in
Once you’ve setup your direct deposit, go to the AccessVA Web Page: https://eauth.va.gov/accessva/ and sign in with any of these accounts:
- Login.gov
- ID.me
- DS Logon
- My HealtheVet
- VA PIV
2. You can create a Login.gov or ID.me account and then sign in if you do not have an account.
After signing in, you will be directed to the Welcome Portal Page. You will need to check the box to agree to the terms and conditions. You can then choose “Proceed to Profile Review.”
3. Profile Review and Dashboard
Once you have updated your information. It will include your personal, contact, or financial information. After you are done, you may select “Proceed to My Dashboard”.
If you are a caregiver, you need to select “Proceed to My Veteran List”, then “Select this Veteran”. You will then be routed to the dashboard of a specific veteran.
Proceed to the Beneficiary Travel profile.
4. Creating and Submitting a Claim
After you are routed to the My Dashboard, you may submit your travel claim with the non-VA facility or VA Facility with this method.
Submitting a travel reimbursement claim for a non-VA facility
Travel reimbursement claims for a non-VA facility require having receipts or proof of attendance records. In this method, you will need to add up to 5 attachments and make sure that your appointment information and address in the “Claim Expenses” page is correct. It may also involve more administrative steps.
Submitting a travel reimbursement claim for a VA facility appointment
You will not require any attachments but instead will proceed with the “Choose an Expense Type” for the expense you want to claim.
You can also submit a claim at the VA facility where you receive your assistance. You can either use mail, fax, email or submit it in person by filling out the VA travel reimbursement form or the Veteran/Beneficiary Claim for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses (VA Form 10-3542). You can download this form here.
Filing or submitting a travel reimbursement claim can be challenging, and we at J4V team are dedicated to making every process of your VA claim easier, including reimbursements in your travels. You may schedule a strategy call with our veteran coaches here.