Most Veterans know the VA covers care — fewer know the VA can also help pay for getting to that care. If you drive to the Tyler VA clinic or make the longer run to the Dallas VA Medical Center, the VA’s Beneficiary Travel program may reimburse your mileage, and Veterans who can’t ride in a regular vehicle may qualify for special transportation. Here’s how it works, in plain language.

30%+Service-connected rating is one route to eligibility
30 daysDeadline to file after your appointment
Per milePaid both ways, minus a small deductible
MinutesMost Veterans file from their phone in the parking lot
Eligibility

Mileage reimbursement: the basics

The Beneficiary Travel program pays eligible Veterans a per-mile rate for travel to and from VA health appointments (and some VA-authorized community care). In general, you may be eligible if at least one of these fits:

  • You have a service-connected disability rating of 30% or higher
  • You’re traveling for treatment of a service-connected condition (at any rating)
  • You receive a VA pension
  • Your income falls below the VA’s limit
  • You can’t afford travel, as defined by VA guidelines

Small deductibles apply to most trips (with a monthly cap, and exemptions for some Veterans), and current per-mile rates change periodically — check the VA’s travel pay page for today’s numbers before you count on a figure.

Filing

How to file (it’s easier than it used to be)

  1. File online through the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System — sign in at VA.gov and submit within 30 days of the appointment.
  2. Or file VA Form 10-3542 by mail or in person at your VA facility.
  3. Keep it routine: many Veterans file right from their phone in the parking lot after each visit.
Accessible transport

Can’t ride in a regular vehicle? Special Mode Transportation

Approval needed firstIf your condition requires a wheelchair van or stretcher transport, the VA’s Special Mode Transportation benefit may cover the ride itself — but it generally must be medically justified by a VA clinician and approved in advance, so talk to your care team before booking anything.

Veterans who need accessible transport regularly are often better served long-term by their own vehicle — the VA automobile allowance and adaptive equipment programs exist for exactly that, and we help Tyler-area Veterans with the dealer side of that paperwork every week.

Also available

Two more travel helps worth knowing

Veterans Transportation Service

Many VA facilities run free shuttle rides for Veterans, including wheelchair-accessible vehicles — ask your VA facility’s travel office what routes serve your area.

DAV volunteer drivers

The Disabled American Veterans organization operates volunteer driver networks to VA medical centers in many Texas communities.

Don’t leave travel money unclaimed

If you’re rated 30%+ or traveling for a service-connected condition, filing takes minutes. And if getting to appointments is hard because your vehicle can’t carry your chair or scooter, come talk to us — between the VA’s vehicle benefits and our rental fleet, there’s almost always a workable answer.

Call (903) 592-6760
See VA vehicle benefits

Informational only — Access 2 Mobility is not affiliated with the VA. Eligibility rules and rates are set by the VA and change; verify current details on VA.gov or with your VA facility’s travel office. We’re right here in Tyler, minutes from the VA clinic.