VA Travel Pay: How to Get Reimbursed for Appointments
The VA reimburses travel to medical appointments at 41.5 cents per mile, but most veterans who qualify never file. Here is who is eligible, what the deductible costs you, and how to submit a claim in about two minutes.
If you drive to VA medical appointments, the VA will usually pay you back for the miles — and a large share of the veterans who qualify never file. The Beneficiary Travel program reimburses eligible veterans for travel to and from VA health facilities and to VA-authorized care in the community. For anyone with recurring appointments, it adds up to real money over a year.
This guide covers the current rate, the small deductible almost nobody expects, who qualifies, and the fastest way to file a claim.
What the VA pays
The VA pays 41.5 cents per mile for approved, health-related travel. That is the VA's own Beneficiary Travel rate — it is not the GSA rate used for federal employee travel and it does not track the IRS business mileage rate, so the number you may have seen elsewhere probably does not apply here. Tolls and parking are reimbursable on top of mileage.
For veterans who have to travel a long way for care, the VA can also cover common carrier fares — bus, train, or air — and in some cases meals and lodging, when the travel is approved in advance.
| Item | Current amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Mileage rate | 41.5 cents per mile |
| Deductible | $3 one way, $6 round trip |
| Monthly deductible cap | $18, then the VA pays in full for the rest of that month |
| Filing deadline | 30 days after the appointment |
| Also reimbursable | Tolls and parking |
| Paper claim form | VA Form 10-3542 |
The deductible most veterans do not expect
The VA is required by law to withhold a small deductible from travel reimbursement. It is $3 for a one-way trip and $6 for a round trip, capped at $18 in a calendar month. Once you have paid $18 within a month, the VA pays the full cost of your approved travel for the rest of that month.
The math is easy to run. A 60-mile round trip pays 60 times 41.5 cents, or $24.90, minus the $6 round-trip deductible — $18.90 for that visit. After three round trips in the same month you have hit the $18 cap, and every remaining approved trip that month is reimbursed in full.
The deductible is waived entirely if any of these apply: you receive a VA pension; you are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam; you are a non-service-connected veteran whose income last year, or expected income this year, is below the maximum annual VA pension rate; or you are a service-connected veteran whose income last year, or expected income this year, is below the VA national income limit for health care benefits and prescriptions. You can also request a waiver in person or in writing.
Who qualifies
Two things have to be true. First, you are traveling for care at a VA health facility or for VA-approved care at a community provider. Second, at least one of the following applies to you:
You have a VA disability rating of 30% or higher. You are traveling for treatment of a service-connected condition, at any rating. You receive a VA pension. Your income is below the maximum annual VA pension rate. You cannot afford to pay for the travel, as defined by VA guidelines. Or you are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam, to get a service dog, or for VA-approved transplant care.
That claim-exam line is the one veterans miss most often. Travel to a Compensation and Pension exam is reimbursable, and the deductible is waived for it — so a veteran with no rating at all, driving to a C&P exam for a claim still in progress, can file for the mileage.
Some non-veterans can claim too: a family caregiver enrolled in the VA's caregiver program traveling for training or to support the veteran's care, a medically required attendant traveling with the veteran, and a transplant donor or support person.
How to file, and the 30-day deadline
File within 30 days of the appointment. You can still submit after that, but late claims are usually denied, and getting one paid takes extra documentation and approval.
There are four ways to file, fastest first. On VA.gov, you can submit a mileage-only claim if you drove your own vehicle from your home address. The VA Health and Benefits mobile app has done the same since August 2025, and it surfaces your eligible appointments for you. Since December 2025 you can also file as part of smartphone check-in when you arrive for the appointment. And BTSSS — the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System — is the full portal, reached through AccessVA with a Login.gov, ID.me, PIV, or CAC sign-in.
The three quick paths only handle mileage, only from your home address, and only in your own vehicle. Anything else goes through BTSSS or a paper claim: community care appointments, tolls, parking, meals, lodging, and common carrier fares. The paper form is VA Form 10-3542, "Veteran/Beneficiary Claim for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses," submitted by mail or in person at your facility's Beneficiary Travel office.
Ambulance and special mode transport
Travel by ambulance or a specially equipped vehicle such as a wheelchair van is handled under separate rules. You qualify if you are eligible for travel pay, a VA provider determines that your medical condition requires that mode of transport, and the VA approved the travel in advance — unless it was an emergency, in which case you need to call within 72 hours. For special mode travel the VA often pays the transport vendor directly instead of reimbursing you.
Community care counts too
If the VA authorized your care in the community, travel to that appointment is reimbursable the same way travel to a VA facility is. The requirement is that the VA authorized the care — care you arranged on your own does not qualify. Community care claims go through BTSSS rather than the mileage-only shortcuts.
Make it a habit
Every trip is its own claim, so the benefit rewards consistency more than it rewards any single filing. A veteran in physical therapy twice a week makes roughly a hundred trips a year; at 20 miles round trip that is well over a thousand dollars in reimbursable mileage.
The habit that works is filing on the day of the appointment, from the parking lot, while it is still listed in the app. It takes about two minutes, and it removes any chance of the 30-day window closing while you mean to get to it.
The bottom line
Beneficiary Travel is among the simplest VA benefits to claim and among the most under-used. If you have a 30% or higher rating, or you are traveling for a service-connected condition or a scheduled claim exam, you almost certainly qualify. File within 30 days, expect the small deductible unless you are exempt, and use the mileage-only fast paths whenever they apply. If you are not certain you qualify, file anyway — a denied claim costs nothing but the two minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the VA pay per mile for travel in 2026?
The VA pays 41.5 cents per mile for approved, health-related travel, plus tolls and parking. This is the VA's own Beneficiary Travel rate — it is not the GSA federal-employee rate or the IRS business mileage rate, so figures you see quoted elsewhere often do not apply.
Is there a deductible for VA travel pay?
Yes. The VA withholds $3 for a one-way trip and $6 for a round trip, up to $18 in a calendar month. After you have paid $18 in one month, the VA pays the full cost of your approved travel for the rest of that month. The deductible is waived if you receive a VA pension, if you are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam, or if your income falls below the applicable VA limits.
Who qualifies for VA travel reimbursement?
You qualify if you are traveling for VA care or VA-approved community care and at least one of these applies: you have a 30% or higher disability rating, you are being treated for a service-connected condition at any rating, you receive a VA pension, your income is below the maximum annual VA pension rate, you cannot afford the travel under VA guidelines, or you are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam, to get a service dog, or for VA-approved transplant care.
Can I get travel pay for a C&P exam?
Yes. Travel to a scheduled VA claim exam qualifies for reimbursement even if you would not otherwise be eligible for travel pay, and the $3 or $6 deductible is waived for that trip.
How long do I have to file a VA travel claim?
Thirty days from the date of the appointment. Claims filed after 30 days can still be submitted but are usually denied, so the safest habit is filing the same day — through the VA app or smartphone check-in it takes about two minutes.
Does VA travel pay cover community care appointments?
Yes, as long as the VA authorized the care. Travel to VA-approved community care is reimbursed the same as travel to a VA facility. Community care claims have to go through the BTSSS portal or a paper VA Form 10-3542 rather than the mileage-only shortcuts on VA.gov and in the mobile app.
What is BTSSS?
BTSSS is the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System, the VA's online travel claim portal. You reach it through AccessVA using Login.gov, ID.me, a PIV card, or a CAC. It handles every kind of travel claim, including tolls, parking, lodging, meals, and community care — the quicker VA.gov and mobile app paths only handle mileage driven from your home address in your own vehicle.