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section). Understanding that some veterans are not eligible for VA travel, and that travel is often
noted as a barrier to care, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) reports that they "then began
organizing a national transportation network to find volunteer drivers to drive disabled veterans to
their medical appointments because of the medical problems that this lack of access was creating."19
DAV's transportation efforts began in 1987. Since then, DAV has donated 2,519 vehicles,
transported more than 13 million veterans almost 500 million miles, and devoted more than 27
million volunteer hours in transporting veterans to VA medical facilities. The DAV Volunteer
Transportation Network remains a key component of transportation services to veterans.
TRANSPORTATION SERVICES THAT VHA PROVIDES FOR VETERANS
The Beneficiary Travel Program
Conditions for Eligibility
The VA, through its Veterans Health Administration (VHA), provides health care benefits to eligible
veterans that include outpatient medical services, hospital care, medicine, and supplies.
Transportation costs can be considered part of outpatient and inpatient medical services. VHA's
Beneficiary Travel Office can authorize reimbursements to eligible beneficiaries for mileage costs,
costs for special transportation modes, or, in certain circumstances, the costs of taxis or hired cars.
These payments are specified in United States Code (USC), Payments or Allowances for Beneficiary
Travel 38 U.S.C. § 111 . (Appendix A, VHA's Frequently Asked Questions concerning its
Beneficiary Travel Program, includes other references regarding payment procedures and conditions
for eligibility.)
Veterans Eligible for Beneficiary Travel Payments
Veterans who are eligible for payments under VA's Beneficiary Travel Program include:
A veteran who travels to or from a VA facility or VA-authorized health care facility in
connection with treatment or care for a Service Connected (SC) disability (regardless of
percent of disability).
19 Ibid.
20
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A veteran with a SC disability rated at 30 percent or more who travels to or from a VA
facility or VA-authorized health care facility for examination, treatment, or care for any
condition.
A veteran who travels to a VA facility or VA-authorized health care facility for a scheduled
compensation and pension (C&P) examination.
A veteran receiving pension under 38 U.S.C. § 1521, who travels to or from a VA facility or
VA-authorized health care facility for examination, treatment, or care.
A veteran whose annual income (as determined under 38 U.S.C. § 1503) does not exceed the
maximum annual rate of pension that the veteran would receive under 38 U.S.C.§ 1521as
adjusted under 38 U.S.C. § 5312) if the veteran was eligible for pension and travels to or
from a VA facility or VA authorized health care facility for examination, treatment, or care.
In addition, certain veterans are eligible for certain kinds of emergency trips.
Non-Veterans Eligible for Beneficiary Travel
Non-veterans who are eligible for payments under VA's Beneficiary Travel Program include:
Allied Beneficiaries. For Allied Beneficiaries, as defined by 38 U.S.C. § 109, travel is
subject to a reimbursement agreement by the government concerned. For information
on the beneficiary travel eligibility of Allied Beneficiaries, see VHA Handbook
1601D.02.
Attendants. Someone other than a VA employee, who is accompanying and assisting
a veteran or beneficiary eligible for beneficiary travel payments, when such beneficiary
is medically determined to require the presence of the attendant because of a physical
or mental condition.
Beneficiaries of Other Federal Agencies. Travel for beneficiaries of other federal
agencies may be authorized travel incident to medical services rendered upon requests
of those agencies, subject to a reimbursement agreement by those agencies.
Other Persons. A member of a veteran's immediate family, a veteran's legal guardian,
or a person in whose household the veteran certifies an intention to live, if such
person is traveling for consultation, professional counseling, training, or mental health
services concerning a veteran who is receiving care for a SC disability; or a member of
a veteran's immediate family, if the person is traveling for bereavement counseling
21
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relating to the death of the veteran in the active military, naval, or air service in the
line of duty and under circumstances not due to the Veteran's own misconduct.20
Special Mode Transportation
Veterans qualify for Special Mode Transportation (ambulance, wheelchair van, "and other modes
which are specifically designed to transport certain disabled individuals"21) when:
1. VA determines that their medical condition requires an ambulance or a specially
equipped van, and
2. They meet one of the eligibility criteria for veterans described above, and
3. The travel is preauthorized (authorization is not required for emergencies if a delay
would be hazardous to life or health).22
Veterans must meet all three of these criteria unless they are OIF or OEF veterans, and then they
need only meet one of the criteria to be administratively eligible for transport at VA expense. This
includes meeting the basic criteria, as well as being "unable to defray the expenses of travel" as
defined in 38 CFR 70.10 (c). . . Once administrative eligibility is established, a VA clinician must
then determine that a special mode of transportation is medically required to transport the veteran
for VA health care. Unless one of the forms of special mode of transportation is required and
documented as such, this method of transportation is inappropriate."23
Means of Transportation
The VA will, under certain circumstances, reimburse individual veterans for their medical travel
under regulations for the Beneficiary Travel program. In addition, travel offices at VAMCs may
provide their own transportation services, may contract directly with transportation providers for
trips to VAMCs, or may work with volunteer networks to provide transportation for veterans
20
July 21, 2010 VHA HANDBOOK 1601B.05,
http://www1.va.gov/vhapublications/ViewPublication.asp?pub_ID=2275 accessed November 9, 2010.
21
Department of Veterans Affairs. (no dates). "Beneficiary Travel Frequently Asked
Questions" http://www4.va.gov/healtheligibility/Library/FAQs/BeneTravelFAQ.asp , accessed December 9, 2009.
22Department of Veterans Affairs. (no dates). "VA Health Care Eligibility Enrollment: Special and Limited Benefits"
http://www4.va.gov/healtheligibility/coveredservices/SpecialBenefits.asp#Auto , accessed May 5, 2010.
23
Department of Veterans Affairs. (no dates). "Beneficiary Travel Frequently Asked
Questions" http://www4.va.gov/healtheligibility/Library/FAQs/BeneTravelFAQ.asp , accessed December 9, 2009.
22
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seeking health care. The ways that VA is involved in assisting a veteran with his or her trips for
medical care are as follows:
Individual veterans provide their own travel and are reimbursed.
o The current rate is 41.5 cents per mile.
o The Beneficiary Travel deductible amounts are:
$3.00 per one-way trip
$6.00 per round trip, or
$18.00 per calendar month or six one-way trips (three round trips),
whichever occurs first, for travel to all VA facilities.
Some trips are exempt from the deductible amount, including trips made by
veterans who require a special mode of transportation and travel in relation
to a VA compensation and pension examination.
Transportation services are provided directly by VA Medical Centers.
Transportation services are provided by contractors to VA Medical Centers.
Transportation is provided by volunteer organizations working with VA Medical
Centers.
Title 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) 111 and 38 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) 70.1 70.50
are the authorities for Beneficiary Travel. Regulations that currently apply to VHA beneficiary travel
were published in the Federal Register on July 29, 2008. The Regulations are currently under
revision due to several recent legislative and policy changes; these revised are expected to be
published in 2011.
Trips to access to medical care are the only travel needs supported by VHA Beneficiary Travel
funding. (Travel for compensation and pension examinations is considered to be allowable under
the Beneficiary Travel program.) Trip purposes such as shopping, recreation, personal business, and
other nonmedical or noneducational trips are not supported by VA, even though such trips may
have a profound impact on an individual veteran's quality of life.
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