In some cases, we may reimburse you for the actual cost, up to 50% of the local government employee rate, for meals or lodging. You’ll need to provide all receipts.

We determine the need for meals and lodging based on these factors:

• Your medical condition, and
• How far you need to travel for care, and
• Other circumstances

Except in certain unusual cases, you can only get this reimbursement if we approve it before you travel. We won’t reimburse you for lodging or meals if you chose to stop or take a less direct route to a VA or VA-authorized health facility.

We can provide travel in certain emergency situations.

If you have an emergency while receiving care at a VA health facility and the facility can’t provide the care you need:

We may pay for your transport to a non-VA facility for emergency treatment and back to the VA facility. As long as we’ve approved the care at the non-VA facility, we’ll pay for this transportation—even if you’re not eligible for VA travel pay.

If you have an emergency and you’re anywhere other than at a VA health facility:

We may pay for your transport to a non-VA facility for emergency treatment. Contact your local facility within 72 hours of the emergency transport to determine your specific eligibility.

If you’re a Veteran and a VA employee who’s eligible for reimbursement, or if you’re a compensated work therapy patient

We’ll reimburse you for travel to and from your scheduled appointments. This includes appointments scheduled on a day when you’re working at the same VA health facility. For unscheduled appointments, we may reimburse you for one-way travel if you’re seen as a Veteran and not an employee.

If you’re a volunteer

You’re eligible for travel pay whether or not you volunteer on the same day as your appointment.

You’ll need to establish an official place of residence. This is so we can determine your reimbursement amount. We may ask you to provide documentation to confirm your address.

If you change your address while receiving care (such as during a long hospital stay), we’ll reimburse you for your return trip home. But we’ll base your reimbursement on the distance between your new home and the VA health facility closest to your new home that could have provided the care you needed.

For example: If you lived in Baltimore, Maryland, when you entered a VA hospital for care, but then changed your home address to Detroit, Michigan, during your hospital stay, we’d base your reimbursement on the distance from your new Detroit home to the closest VA or VA-approved facility that could have provided your care.

If your VA health care provider hasn’t determined that the extra travel is needed, you’ll need to pay for any added travel costs. 

This includes paying for any of these added costs:

• Mileage
• Public or private transportation costs
• Special mode transportation

You may be eligible for a deductible waiver. You don’t need to pay the deductible if you meet the requirements listed below.

This must be true:

You’re eligible for VA travel pay reimbursement.

And at least one of these must also be true. You’re:

• Receiving a VA pension, or
• Traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam, or
• A non-service-connected Veteran, and your income last year was below the maximum annual VA pension rate, or
• A non-service-connected Veteran, and what you expect to earn this year doesn’t exceed our maximum annual VA pension rate, or
• A service-connected Veteran, and your income last year falls below the VA national income limit for health care benefits and prescriptions, or
• A service-connected Veteran and what you expect to earn this year doesn’t exceed our national income limit for health care benefits and prescriptions

If we determine that you qualify for a waiver, we’ll automatically waive your deductible. You can also request a waiver in person or in writing.

Note: We consider Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits for 100% service-connected Veterans to be special monthly compensation and not a VA pension.