How can veterans get rides to VA health care?

Getting paid back for travel (travel pay)

VA calls this program Beneficiary Travel, or travel pay. It pays eligible veterans back for some costs of getting to and from approved health appointments.

To qualify, you must be traveling for care at a VA health facility, or for VA-approved care at a non-VA facility in your community. At least one of the items below must also be true for you.

• You have a VA disability rating of 30% or higher.
• You are traveling for care of a service-connected condition, even if your rating is less than 30%.
• You receive a VA pension.
• Your income is below the maximum yearly VA pension rate.
• You can’t afford to pay for your travel, as VA defines it.
• You are going to a scheduled VA claim exam (a C&P exam), to get a service dog, or for VA-approved transplant care.

Sources: [1], [10]

What VA pays and the deductible

VA says it currently pays 41.5 cents ($0.415) per mile for approved, health-related travel. This rate can change, so check with VA before you count on it.

VA may also pay for tolls and parking. Taxi fares, plane fares, bus or train tickets, meals and lodging need approval ahead of time.

Before VA pays you back, you pay a deductible. VA says the current deductible is $3 one-way or $6 round-trip for each appointment, up to $18 total each month. After you pay $18 in a month, VA pays the full cost of your approved travel for the rest of that month.

VA may waive the deductible. For example, this can happen if you receive a VA pension, or if your income is below certain limits.

Sources: [2], [10]

How and when to file a travel pay claim

Plan to file within 30 days of your appointment. VA says you can still file after 30 days, but late claims are usually denied. You need to file a new claim for each appointment.

You need to set up direct deposit for travel pay, even if you already have direct deposit for other VA benefits. Keep your receipts and track your miles.

• Online on VA.gov, from your list of past appointments, if your trip was round trip and started from the address VA has on file.
• Online through the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS) if your trip was one way, started from a different address, or you are a caregiver.
• By mail or in person at the VA facility where you got care, using VA Form 10-3542.
• During smartphone check-in, if your facility offers it, you drove your own vehicle from home, and you are claiming only mileage.

Sources: [1], [3]

If you need a wheelchair van or ambulance

VA calls this special mode transportation. It means an ambulance or a specially equipped vehicle, like a wheelchair van, used when your health makes regular travel unsafe.

You may qualify if you are eligible for travel pay, and a VA provider decides your medical condition needs this kind of ride. VA must approve the trip in advance, unless it was an emergency. Talk with your VA health care team first.

You can ask for a non-emergency ride online through VetRide, or by calling the transportation contact at your VA facility.

In an emergency, if waiting for approval could put your health or life at risk, call VA at 844-724-7842 within 72 hours. VA may pay the ambulance bill directly.

Sources: [1], [4], [10]

Free rides from VA and volunteers

VA’s Veterans Transportation Program gives free rides to and from VA health appointments. You must be enrolled in VA health care. Your appointment must be at a VA facility or with a VA-authorized community care provider. Each facility sets its own deadline to request a ride.

You can request a ride online with VetRide, using an ID.me or Login.gov account, or by calling your facility’s transportation representative.

Many VA facilities also offer free rides through volunteer drivers. Because volunteers run these services, they may not be in your area. You need to be able to get in and out of the vehicle without the driver’s help.

DAV (Disabled American Veterans) runs volunteer-driven vehicles that give free rides to and from VA medical facilities. DAV says its network can’t cover every community. To find a ride, contact your nearest DAV Hospital Service Coordinator.

If you use a free ride, you can’t also claim travel pay for that trip, because you had no cost to pay back.

Sources: [4], [5], [9], [1]

If you live in a highly rural area

VA’s Highly Rural Transportation Grants program may give free rides to VA-authorized appointments for veterans in highly rural areas. It covers only some counties in a small number of states.

VA lists each state and county with the phone number of the local ride provider. In Washington, VA lists Ferry County.

Source: [6]

Caregivers and attendants

VA may pay for travel, and related lodging and meals, for some people who are not veterans. This can include your family caregiver under VA’s National Caregiver Program, when traveling for caregiver training or to support your care.

It can also include an attendant who must travel with you for medical reasons, or a transplant donor or support person. If you need a caregiver to ride with you on a volunteer ride, you may need approval from your VA health care team.

Caregivers file travel pay claims through BTSSS.

Sources: [1], [4], [3]