VA Announces Change to Veteran Reimbursements
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced an update on Tuesday that allows eligible Veterans to submit and track mileage-only travel claims directly through the VA Health and Benefits mobile app.
Why It Matters
The Health and Benefits app, which has been downloaded more than 3 million times according to the VA, is available on smartphones and other mobile devices. The new functionality is expected to significantly reduce the number of paper claim submissions, which often take longer for the department to process.
What To Know
According to a VA news release, the new app feature automatically detects when a veteran's appointment may qualify for mileage reimbursement and prompts the user to begin a claim on the home screen.
Under current VA policy, veterans who meet specific eligibility criteria—including those with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or higher—can receive travel reimbursement if they drive from their home to a VA medical appointment using their personal vehicle.
The VA currently pays 41.5 cents per mile for health-related travel costs and may also reimburse claimants for various travel-related expenses associated with their medical care.
These include bridge, road and tunnel tolls; parking fees; taxi and plane fares; and ticket costs for public transportation such as trains, subways, buses, ferries or rail. If medically necessary and approved, transportation by a specially equipped vehicle—such as an ambulance or wheelchair van—may also be covered. In some cases, the VA may additionally reimburse costs for meals and lodging when required.
Stock image/file photo: Two people looking at a phone screen.
Stock image/file photo: Two people looking at a phone screen.
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What Is the VA Health and Benefits App?
The VA Health and Benefits mobile app offers a wide range of tools to help Veterans manage their health care, benefits and services more easily. Through the app, veterans can refill and track prescriptions, communicate securely with their VA health care team, review upcoming appointments and access vaccination records.
It provides benefits features such as checking disability ratings, monitoring the status of claims or appeals, submitting supporting documents, and downloading commonly requested VA letters. For financial matters, users can review payments sent by the VA and update direct deposit information.
It also includes a facility locator to find nearby VA services, quick access to the Veterans Crisis Line and the ability to show proof of Veteran status directly from a mobile device.
What People Are Saying
VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a news release on Monday: "VA is evolving to meet the needs of today's Veterans, and this new feature is proof of that. We look forward to rolling out many more improvements in the future as we continue to make the department work better for the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors we serve."
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