VA Beneficiary Travel: Mileage, Deductibles, and C&P Trips

This is not part of your disability check

Beneficiary travel is a VHA reimbursement. It does not appear as a line on a compensation award. A 100% rating does not deposit mileage. You file a claim for a trip you already took, or you get special-mode transport approved in advance.

The two live pages to keep are:

• File and manage travel reimbursement claims
• Reimbursed VA travel expenses and mileage rate

Both were last updated July 24, 2026 when I fetched them.

Who qualifies

You must be traveling for care at a VA health facility or for VA-approved care at a non-VA facility in the community.

And at least one of these must also be true:

• A VA disability rating of 30% or higher, or
• Travel for treatment of a service-connected condition, even if the rating is under 30%, or
• You receive a VA pension, or
• Your income is below the maximum annual VA pension rate, or
• You cannot afford to pay for travel, as VA defines that, or
• You are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam (C&P), to get a service dog, or for VA-approved transplant care

A 0% service-connected condition can still support travel pay when the appointment is for that condition. A 30% or higher rating can support travel for VA care even when the appointment is not for the rated condition.

Caregivers can qualify in their own lane if the person is a family caregiver under the National Caregiver Program traveling for training or to support care, a medically required attendant, or a transplant donor or support person.

What VA will pay

VA may reimburse:

• Mileage to and from the appointment
• Bridge, road, and tunnel tolls
• Parking
• Preapproved taxi and plane fares
• Preapproved public-transport tickets
• VA-initiated or preapproved special-mode transport, such as an ambulance or wheelchair van
• Preapproved meals and lodging

Mileage and parking or tolls do not need preapproval. Regular transportation other than your own car, plus meals and lodging, do.

VA pays mileage to the closest VA facility that can provide the needed care, unless a VA provider decides you have to go somewhere else. Bing Maps calculates the fastest and shortest route from home to that facility. VA calls that door-to-door. Scheduled appointments get round-trip mileage. Unscheduled visits may get return mileage only.

If your mailing address is a PO box, VA will ask for an official place of residence. If you change your home address during a long stay, the return trip is paid from the new home to the closest facility that could have provided the care.

Meals and lodging, when preapproved, are actual cost up to 50% of the local government-employee rate. Receipts are required. Side trips and scenic routes are not reimbursed.

You cannot file for a free ride. DAV vans, VA Veterans Transportation Program rides, and other no-cost city or state options have no expense to repay.

The 2026 mileage rate and the deductible

Current mileage: 41.5 cents per mile.

Current deductible: $3 one way or $6 round trip per appointment, up to $18 total each month. After $18 in a month, VA pays the full approved travel cost for the rest of that month.

VA withholds the deductible because the statute requires it. The withheld money supports travel or care for other veterans. That is the official explanation. It is still a deductible.

A waiver is available if you are eligible for travel pay and at least one of these is true:

• You receive a VA pension
• You are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam
• You are a non-service-connected veteran whose last-year income, or expected income this year, is at or below the maximum annual VA pension rate
• You are a service-connected veteran whose last-year income, or expected income this year, is below the national income limit for health-care benefits and prescriptions

If VA finds that you qualify, it can waive the deductible automatically. You can also request a waiver in person or in writing.

One note on the same page: Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits for 100% service-connected veterans are special monthly compensation, not a VA pension. Do not assume those SMC rates create a pension-based waiver.

C&P exams

A scheduled compensation and pension exam is on the eligibility list. It is also on the deductible-waiver list. You do not need a current rating to file travel pay for that exam trip.

If the exam is with a VA facility, file through BTSSS or 10-3542 like any other qualifying trip. If a contractor ran the exam, ask that vendor how its travel process works. Do not assume the VA medical center will pay a contractor trip it did not book.

Bring the appointment letter. File the claim. Keep it boring.

How to file

Set up direct deposit for travel pay even if compensation already uses direct deposit. VA treats travel deposit as a separate setup.

Keep receipts for transportation, meals, and lodging. Track mileage. For community-care appointments, get proof of attendance: a work or school release note, or a letter on the provider's letterhead with the completed date.

File within 30 days of the appointment. VA says you can still file later, but claims after the 30-day limit are usually denied. File a new claim for each appointment.

Online: Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS) through AccessVA.

Paper: VA Form 10-3542, Veteran/Beneficiary Claim for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses. Mail or take it, with receipts, to the facility where you received care. A mailed claim uses the postmark as the filing date.

Some facilities let you file mileage-only claims during smartphone check-in if you drove your own vehicle from your home address and you are not claiming other expenses.

Special-mode transport needs a VA provider's finding that regular transportation is unsafe, plus advance approval unless it is an emergency. For an emergency ambulance from somewhere other than a VA facility, VA says to call within 72 hours.

Travel to a facility that is not the closest one needs preapproval and a medical reason: the service is not offered nearby, you have a referral, or the procedure cannot be done at the closest site.

Common misses

Filing for a free DAV ride. Sharing a car and claiming full mileage when you were not the owner and did not pay a fare. Claiming a longer route because you stopped at a pharmacy. Waiting two months because "they'll see the appointment in the system." The system sees the appointment. It does not file the claim.

Priority group and travel pay are related only through income and rating gates. A priority-group assignment is not a travel award. See VA health-care priority groups.

FAQs

What is the current VA mileage rate?

41.5 cents ($0.415) per mile for approved health-related travel, as of the July 24, 2026 VA.gov rate page. VA uses Bing Maps for the shortest fastest route from home to the closest facility that can provide the care.

Do I pay a deductible on every trip?

Usually $3 one way or $6 round trip, capped at $18 a month. After the cap, the rest of that month is paid in full. Pension, a scheduled claim exam, and certain income findings can waive the deductible.

Can I get travel pay for a C&P exam with no rating yet?

Yes, a scheduled VA claim exam is a qualifying reason on the live eligibility page. That trip can also waive the deductible.

How long do I have to file?

Plan on 30 days from the appointment. Later claims are usually denied. Each appointment needs its own claim.

What form do I use if I do not want to use BTSSS?

VA Form 10-3542. Mail or deliver it to the VA facility where you received care, with receipts.

Can a caregiver file?

A family caregiver under the National Caregiver Program, a medically required attendant, or a transplant donor or support person may qualify for transportation and related lodging and meals. See the caregiver rules on the travel-pay page and PCAFC.

Sources

• File and manage travel reimbursement claims (VA.gov, last updated July 24, 2026)
• Reimbursed VA travel expenses and mileage rate (VA.gov, last updated July 24, 2026)
• VA Form 10-3542
• VHA Beneficiary Travel policy (VHA publications)

Disclaimer: Educational content only. Not legal or medical advice. Confirm against the veteran's actual notice and current eCFR / VA.gov. For claim-specific help, use a VA-accredited VSO, claims agent, or attorney.