Travel pay: who can get it
VA's travel pay (beneficiary travel) pays you back for driving to VA care, or to community care VA approved. You need to be going to care, plus at least one of the things below.
- Your VA disability rating is 30% or higher.
- You're traveling for care for a service-connected condition, even if your rating is under 30%.
- You get a VA pension.
- Your income is below the top VA pension rate, or you can't afford the trip under VA's rules.
- You're going to a scheduled claim exam (C&P exam), to get a service dog, or for VA-approved transplant care.
- A family caregiver, a medically required attendant, or a transplant donor may also qualify.
Source: VA.gov: Travel pay reimbursement
How much VA pays
VA pays 41.5 cents a mile. For a scheduled appointment, that's the round trip. For an unscheduled visit, it's the trip home.
Most Veterans pay a small deductible: $3 each way, $6 for a round trip, and never more than $18 in a month. After you hit $18, VA pays the full amount for the rest of that month.
- No deductible if you get a VA pension, if you're going to a scheduled claim exam, or if your income is under VA's limits. Ask the travel office if you think this fits you.
- Approved claims usually pay in 3 to 5 business days. Travel pay needs its own direct deposit set up, separate from your disability pay.
File within 30 days
You have 30 days after each appointment to file. Late claims are usually denied. Each appointment needs its own claim.
- Easiest: on VA.gov, go to your past appointments and pick "Mileage." It's 2 questions, then sign and submit. No receipts needed, if you drove a round trip from the address VA has on file.
- Some VA clinics let you file mileage when you check in on your phone.
- One-way trips, trips from another address, and caregiver claims go through the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS).
- Prefer paper? Use VA Form 10-3542 and mail it or hand it in at the clinic. The postmark date counts.
- Stuck? Call the travel office at your VA medical center. They can file it with you.
Sources: VA.gov: How to file a travel claim online; VA.gov: Travel pay reimbursement
If you need an ambulance or wheelchair van
VA calls this special mode transportation. It's covered when you're eligible for travel pay and your VA provider says you medically need it.
It must be approved before the trip, unless it's an emergency. After an emergency ride, contact VA within 72 hours. Ask your VA care team or the travel office to set it up.
Free rides to VA
Don't drive, or can't? Three free options, and many Veterans use more than one.
- VA's Veterans Transportation Program: free rides to VA appointments, or to community care VA approved, for Veterans enrolled in VA health care. Book through VetRide (website or the VetRide Passenger app), or call your VA's transportation contact.
- DAV Transportation Network: volunteer drivers give free rides to VA medical facilities at more than 247 VA locations. Call the DAV Hospital Service Coordinator at your VA medical center. Not every town is covered, so call early.
- Highly Rural Transportation Grants: free rides to VA-approved appointments for Veterans in highly rural counties of Alaska, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Find your county on VA's list and call the provider.
Sources: VA: Veterans Transportation Program; DAV: Medical transportation; VA: Highly Rural Transportation Grants
Far from VA? Video visits and ATLAS
VA Video Connect lets you see your VA provider by video on a phone, tablet or computer. Ask your VA care team to set up a video visit; VA sends you a link. On a computer it opens in your web browser. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon don't charge data for it.
No good internet or device at home? Ask your VA provider for a "Digital Divide consult." VA can lend you a tablet at no cost. ATLAS sites are private rooms in community places, set up with VA equipment and a helper, where you can have a video visit closer to home.
If VA can't see you within set drive-time or wait-time standards, you may be able to use a community provider that VA pays for.
VA Video Connect help desk
Help joining a video visit. 24/7.
Sources: VA Mobile: VA Video Connect; VA Telehealth: ATLAS; VA Telehealth: Digital divide
Questions to ask the travel office at your VA
Every VA medical center has a beneficiary travel office. They can check your eligibility and file a claim with you. A county Veteran service officer can help too, for free.
- Do I qualify for travel pay, and do I have to pay the deductible?
- Can you help me file my mileage claim today?
- Is there a VA or DAV ride from my area, and how far ahead do I book?
- Can this appointment be a video visit instead?
- Can I get a tablet through a Digital Divide consult?
Your next step
Official sources
- VA.gov: Travel pay reimbursement
- VA.gov: Travel pay and the mileage rate
- VA.gov: File a travel claim online
- VA: Veterans Transportation Program
- VA: Highly Rural Transportation Grants
- DAV: Medical transportation
- VA Telehealth: ATLAS and Digital Divide
Reviewed against these sources on October 26, 2026. Rules change. Confirm details with VA or an accredited representative before you act on them.
This guide is general education. It does not decide your eligibility, it is not legal or medical advice, and Helping The Brave is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Keep reading
Eligibility basics
Discharge status, service period and length of service decide which doors are open to you. Understanding them first saves months of guessing.
Disability compensation
A monthly, tax-free payment for conditions connected to your service. The rating is about how much the condition limits you, not how severe it feels.
VA health care
Enrollment puts you in a priority group, and that group decides what you pay. Many Veterans who assume they do not qualify actually do.