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Tools/VA Travel Pay Estimator

VA Travel Pay Estimator

VA reimburses mileage for trips to VA health care — many eligible veterans never claim it. Check whether you qualify and estimate what you're owed.

1. Do you qualify?

And at least one of these applies

2. Is your deductible waived?

VA normally withholds $3.00 per one-way trip or $6.00 per round trip, up to $18.00 a month. It's waived if any of these apply — VA waives it automatically when it determines you qualify.

3. Your trips

The deductible adds up across a month, then stops — after $18.00 is withheld, VA pays the rest of that month in full.

None of VA's eligibility routes checked yet

Travel pay needs at least one of the conditions in step 1. If none apply, VA will likely deny the claim.

Estimated reimbursement this month$14.75

Only if VA approves the trips

Miles per trip
50
Mileage (41.5¢/mile)
$20.75
Deductible withheld
− $6.00
You'd receive
$14.75

An estimate, not a determination. VA calculates the official mileage and decides eligibility when you file.

How to claim it

File within 30 days of each appointment. VA says late claims are usually denied, and every appointment needs its own claim.
  • At check-in. If you drove your own vehicle from home, you can file a mileage-only claim when you check in for the appointment on your smartphone.
  • Online. File through VA's travel pay page, which links to the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS).
  • By mail or in person. Fill out VA Form 10-3542, sign it, and send it with your receipts to — or bring it to — the facility where you got care. A mailed claim is dated by its postmark.

Need an ambulance or a specially equipped vehicle? That's special mode transportation — a VA provider must decide it's medically required, and it usually has to be approved in advance. In an emergency, VA asks you to call within 72 hours.

Sources

Rates and rules last checked against VA.gov on . If VA's pages say something different, VA is right.

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VA Travel Pay Estimator | MILCONNECT.AI