VA Travel Pay Calculator: Mileage Reimbursement Rate 2026
VA pays 41.5 cents ($0.415) per mile for approved health care travel, minus a $3.00 one-way or $6.00 round-trip deductible for each appointment, up to $18.00 a month. Enter your one-way miles and the trips you made this month to estimate your VA travel pay reimbursement, trip by trip.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Rate and deductible checked against VA and 38 CFR Part 70 October 18, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Your trips this month
Enter the miles from your home to the closest VA or authorized non-VA facility that can provide your care; VA measures this with Bing Maps on the fastest and shortest route. Count scheduled appointments as round trips. VA may pay only the return trip for an unscheduled visit, so count that as a one-way trip. The calculator takes up to 2000 miles and 60 trips of each kind, in whole trips.
Tolls, parking and the deductible
Who is exempt from the deductible?
- You receive a VA pension.
- You are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam (compensation and pension exam).
- Your income last year, or the income you expect this year, is below the maximum annual VA pension rate (non-service-connected veterans) or the VA national income limit for health care (service-connected veterans).
- Your trip uses special-mode transportation, such as an ambulance or wheelchair van (38 CFR 70.31(b)).
You must also be eligible for travel pay. VA decides whether a waiver applies.
Estimated reimbursement
$14.75
for this month, before any VA adjustments
- Mileage (1 trip)
- $20.75
- Deductible taken
- -$6.00
| Trip | Mileage | Deductible | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round trip 1 | $20.75 | -$6.00 | $14.75 |
Estimate only. VA decides eligibility, the mileage it measures and the amount it pays. Each trip's mileage is rounded half-up to the cent.
How the math works
1. Mileage. Multiply the miles by 41.5 cents per mile. A scheduled appointment counts both ways, so double the one-way miles. We could not find a published VA rounding rule, so this calculator rounds each trip's amount half-up to the cent.
2. Deductible. Take $6.00 off each round trip or $3.00 off each one-way trip, in the order you made them (round trips first here), until $18.00 has been taken in the month. A trip never pays less than $0.
Short trips. Below about 7.2 miles one way, a trip's mileage is less than its $3.00 deductible. This calculator still counts that trip toward the cap, following 38 CFR 70.31(a)(1), which stops the deduction after six one-way trips for which deductions were made. VA's page describes the cap as $18.00 paid, so for short trips VA may keep deducting longer than this estimate shows.
3. Add tolls and parking. They are paid at cost with receipts. Our assumption: if a trip's mileage is smaller than its deductible, the leftover comes out of your tolls and parking, since 38 CFR 70.31(a) deducts from the amount otherwise payable for the trip. VA may apply it differently.
Worked example. You live 25 miles from the facility and have 4 scheduled appointments in a month. Each round trip is 50 miles, so $20.75 in mileage. The first 3 trips each lose $6.00, which reaches the $18.00 cap, and VA pays $14.75 for each of them. The fourth trip has no deductible, so VA pays $20.75. The month totals $65.00 instead of $83.00. With the deductible waived, all 4 trips pay in full: $83.00.
VA mileage rate and deductible for 2026
| Item | Amount | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Mileage rate | 41.5 cents per mile | 41.5 cents ($0.415) per mile, home to the closest VA or authorized facility |
| Deductible, one-way trip | $3.00 | Taken from the payment for each one-way trip |
| Deductible, round trip | $6.00 | For each scheduled appointment |
| Monthly deductible cap | $18.00 | After that VA pays the full cost for the rest of the month |
VA changes the rate and deductible by notice, not by rewriting the rule: 38 CFR 70.30(a)(1) and 70.31(a) leave the dollar amounts to the Secretary and point to VA's current figures. Check VA's page before relying on these numbers. eCFR also notes that amendments to 38 CFR 70.30 and 70.31 published in 2023 have been delayed until February 16, 2029 (89 FR 88888), so the deductible rules could change then.
Who is eligible for VA travel pay
A plain summary of VA's list for veterans. It is not a test of whether you qualify; VA decides.
- You are traveling for care at a VA health facility, or for VA-approved care at a non-VA facility in your community.
- And at least one of these is also true: your VA disability rating is 30% or higher; you are traveling for treatment of a service-connected condition, even below 30%; you receive a VA pension; your income is below the maximum annual VA pension rate; you cannot afford the travel under VA’s guidelines; or you are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam (compensation and pension exam), to get a service dog, or for VA-approved transplant care.
- Caregivers, medically required attendants and transplant donors or support persons can qualify too, under separate rules.
VA covers mileage, tolls and parking without preapproval. Taxi, plane and public transportation fares, meals, lodging and special-mode transportation such as an ambulance need preapproval from your local VA health facility. You cannot claim travel pay for a trip on a free transportation service, because there is no expense to reimburse.
Deductible exemptions and waivers
You must be eligible for travel pay first. Then you do not pay the deductible if at least one of these is true:
- You receive a VA pension.
- You are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam (38 CFR 70.31(b)(2) also exempts it from the deductible).
- You are a non-service-connected veteran and your income last year was below the maximum annual VA pension rate, or the income you expect this year does not exceed it.
- You are a service-connected veteran and your income last year fell below the VA national income limit for health care benefits and prescriptions, or the income you expect this year does not exceed it.
Separately, 38 CFR 70.31(b) says the deductible does not apply to special-mode transportation such as an ambulance or specially equipped vehicle, to a VA claim exam, or to travel by a non-veteran such as an attendant.
If VA finds you qualify, it waives the deductible automatically; you can also ask in person or in writing. 38 CFR 70.31(c) and (d) limit a hardship waiver to the calendar year of your application, or until your income changes, so tell VA if it does. Tick the waiver box in the calculator if one of these applies.
How to file a VA travel pay claim
- Set up direct deposit for VA travel pay. It is separate from your VA benefits direct deposit.
- Keep receipts for tolls, parking and any approved fares, meals or lodging, and track your mileage.
- File within 30 days of the appointment, one claim per appointment, in the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS).
- Or file on paper with VA Form 10-3542 at the VA facility where you got care. For mail, the postmark date is the submission date.
Claims filed after 30 days are usually denied, but you can still submit them. VA deposits approved payments by electronic funds transfer.
VA travel pay questions
What is the VA mileage reimbursement rate for 2026?
VA pays 41.5 cents ($0.415) per mile for approved, health-related travel. That is the rate on VA's travel pay page, last updated July 24, 2026. A 25-mile one-way trip is 50 miles round trip, or $20.75 before the deductible.
How does VA measure the miles?
VA uses Bing Maps to find the fastest and shortest route from your home to the closest VA or authorized non-VA facility that can provide the care you need. This is often called door to door. If you choose a farther facility, VA generally still pays only to the closest one unless it preapproved the longer trip.
How does the VA travel pay deductible work?
VA takes $3.00 for a one-way trip or $6.00 for a round trip, for each appointment, up to $18.00 in a month. After $18.00 in a month, VA pays the full cost of your approved travel for the rest of that month. 38 CFR 70.31(a) describes the same rule per one-way trip, stopping after six deductions in a calendar month.
Can the deductible be waived?
Yes, if you are eligible for travel pay and meet at least one condition VA lists: you receive a VA pension; you are traveling for a scheduled VA claim exam; you are a non-service-connected veteran whose income last year was below, or whose expected income this year does not exceed, the maximum annual VA pension rate; or you are a service-connected veteran whose income last year fell below, or whose expected income this year does not exceed, the VA national income limit for health care. VA waives it automatically if you qualify, and you can also ask in person or in writing. Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits for 100% service-connected veterans are special monthly compensation, not a VA pension.
Does VA pay for tolls and parking?
VA lists bridge, road and tunnel tolls and parking as costs it may pay, and its filing page says neither needs preapproval. Keep your receipts. 38 CFR 70.30(a)(2) names ferry fares and bridge, road and tunnel tolls with receipts but does not mention parking; this calculator follows VA’s pages and counts parking. It adds tolls and parking for the month. As our own assumption, where a trip’s mileage is smaller than its deductible it takes the difference from them; VA may apply it differently.
What if I drive only one way, or the visit is unscheduled?
VA pays round-trip mileage for scheduled appointments and may pay only return mileage for unscheduled visits. Enter those as one-way trips. For the 25-mile example, one way is $10.38 before the $3.00 one-way deductible.
How long do I have to file a travel pay claim?
Plan to file within 30 days of the appointment. You can still file later, but VA says claims filed after 30 days are usually denied, and each appointment needs its own claim. File online in the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS), by mail or in person with VA Form 10-3542, or during smartphone check-in if your facility offers it and you claim only mileage from home in your own vehicle.