access va travel reimbursement

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Thank you for using the Veteran Portal to submit your travel claim to the Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS).

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Eft information.

Claims approved for payment within this system are designed to use electronic funds transfer (EFT) to your checking/savings account or VA debit card. If your EFT information is not on file with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Financial Management System (FMS) your approved payment may be delayed until the information is provided to process your claim or adjustments are made to allow for temporary payment by check. If you currently receive other benefit payments by EFT from the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) your EFT information is not on file with our system unless you have provided it previously to your local VA Medical Center. You can confirm if your EFT information is on file by reviewing your Veteran profile screen. If it is missing please contact your local BT office to update it. They will provide you with the necessary signature forms to have it added.

Facility for Payment

When entering claims, please identify the facility responsible for payment as the facility that provided your care or approved your care for care in the community. For example, if you submit a claim for care or services approved at a non-VA facility, you identify the care VA facility that authorized it as facility responsible for payment. In most situations this will be your preferred or home facility. If you receive care at a VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) this location will be available for selection as an associated facility of its larger parent VA Medical Center. You will see it when you select the location of your appointment.  

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 requires VA to notify you that this information collection is in accordance with the clearance requirements of Section 3507 of this Act. We anticipate the time  expended by Individuals who must complete this form will average 10 minutes. This includes the time it will take to read instructions, gather the necessary facts and fill out the form. No person will be penalized for failing to furnish this information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. This information is collected under 38 CFR 70 and is intended to fulfill the need for Veterans and beneficiaries to claim Beneficiary Travel benefits and for VA to determine the individual’s eligibility for the benefit.

Privacy Act Information: VA is asking you to provide the information on this form under 38 U.S.C. Sections 111 to determine your eligibility for Beneficiary Travel benefits and will be used for that purpose. Information you supply may be verified through a computer-matching program. VA may disclose the information that you put on the form as permitted by law; possible disclosures include those described in the “routine use” identified in the VA systems of records 24VA19 Patient Medical Record-VA, published in the Federal Register in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Providing the requested information is voluntary, but if any or all of the requested information is not provided, it may delay or result in denial of your request for benefits. Failure to furnish the information will not have any effect on any other benefits to which you may be entitled. If you provide VA your Social Security Number, VA will use it to administer your VA benefits. VA may also use this information to identify Veterans and persons claiming or receiving VA benefits and their records, and for other purposes authorized or required by law.

Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS)

Get reimbursed for travel expenses quicker with btsss.

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VA Moves Its Travel Reimbursement System Online with AccessVA

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is making it easier for veterans and eligible beneficiaries to submit travel claims for traveling to receive medical care.  AccessVA will be online filing system for travel reimbursement.

Currently, those seeking reimbursement for medical travel must file their travel claims using a paper form or through specially designated kiosks at VA medical centers.

After the online filing mode is made available the kiosks will be phased out. However hardcopy travel claims may still be used. However, beginning on July 13, the following locations will have online travel claim filing available.

Locations with Online Travel Claim Filing Available

• Kansas City
• Minneapolis
• Salt Lake City

By the end of November 2020, the VA electronic travel claim program should be available nationwide. Eligible veterans and beneficiaries will be able to visit VA’s Access VA website  to file their claims. The new program will be known as the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System or BTSSS. The program promises to speed payments and cut down on errors that occur when using paper travel claims.

“Streamlining the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System will help our veterans get their travel reimbursements more securely and efficiently.”

– VA Secretary Robert Wilkie

What is AccessVA?

AccessVA improves online interaction with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for veterans, family members, service members, and business partners by providing a single-entry point for access to many VA websites and online applications.

It enables VA websites and online applications to accept a growing number of federal and commercially issued credentials (which meet US Government standards), without the need to create and manage multiple VA website specific credentials.

>> Are you a veteran?  Frustrated with your VA disability rating?  Register for a free consultation for help with increasing your rating  to get the compensation you deserve.  Please go  here .

AccessVA Offers More Options and Increased Convenienc

• In the past, VA website or online applications required users to provide a username and password for use only on that site. This forced users to maintain many different usernames and passwords for multiple VA websites.
• AccessVA allows users to login with Sign-In Partners they may already have such as DS Logon, CAC Card, VA PIV, and more.
• Users who do not have one of the Sign-In Partners can register once and gain access to many VA websites, instead of registering for each website individually.
• As AccessVA grows, users will have access to even more VA websites. It will also be able to accept more credentials allowing users to choose which is most convenient for them.

What’s in it for the Veterans?

The Department of Veterans Affairs exists to serve our Veterans. Veterans will realize substantial benefits by using AccessVA for online transactions including:

Secure and Easy Identity Validations

AccessVA provides a single identification credential and logon process that veterans can use for a number of federal information systems across participating agencies. Once an account is established, the veteran will be spared the burden of having to keep track of multiple sets of identification credentials.

Reduces the Wait for Service and Increases Public Trust

AccessVA provides improved customer service by enabling a more streamlined record keeping system that allows responsive and timely service for the Veteran while increasing the public’s confidence in online business transactions with the Federal Government by preventing potential fraud.

Saves Taxpayer Dollars

AccessVA promotes efficiencies and cost savings by establishing a unified authentication system that can be interoperable among various agencies that service our Veterans and citizens. By adopting a single system, we save taxpayer dollars.

 What does AccessVA do?

In the past, each web site or application you visited wanted to provide you with a username and password for use on that system only. This forced you to keep up with many different usernames and passwords for different web sites. In AccessVA, a username and password that is issued to you (one example of an  online credential ) will be used at multiple participating VA applications. As the AccessVA sign-in service grows, so will the number of VA applications that will accept your credential. One of the main goals is to simplify the process for users to do business with the VA online.

Do I need to be a veteran to use AccessVA?

You do not need to be a veteran to use AccessVA.  AccessVA is intended for veterans, family members, services members, and VA business partners.

Each AccessVA enabled website offers different services and may have different access requirements. If any additional requirements are required to access an AccessVA enabled website additional information will be made available on that website.

Some AccessVA Sign-In Partners also have requirements. For example, to acquire AccessVA’s most popular credential, DS Logon, you need to be one of the following:

• Service member
• Eligible dependent

Furthermore, you need to be registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS).  Most Veterans are already enrolled in the DEERS system.  Spouses and dependents are also often already enrolled.

The type of VA application you are attempting to sign-in to will determine whether one of the AccessVA credential providers available to non-veterans will be accepted.

“VA is working diligently to find new ways to innovate and simplify how we serve Veterans and their beneficiaries,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Streamlining the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System will help our Veterans get their travel reimbursements more securely and efficiently.”

For more information, visit the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs at this link .

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Veterans Can Be Reimbursed for Travel to Medical Appointments

Did you know the Department of Veterans Affairs will pay your travel expenses to medical appointments?

To be eligible for travel reimbursement, you must be meet at least one of the following requirements:

• Traveling for treatment of a service-connected condition;
• A disabled veteran rated at least 30%;
• Traveling for a scheduled compensation or pension examination;
• Receiving a VA pension;
• With limited income;
• Traveling to receive a VA-authorized service dog.

How Much Travel Will The VA Pay?

The VA will pay you a flat rate of 41.5 cents per mile to use your vehicle. If you take a rideshare, taxi or public transportation, they will reimburse you for the actual cost of travel. They also will reimburse you for tolls, parking and other travel costs.

For anything other than mileage reimbursement, you usually are required to submit copies of receipts. You either can scan these or take a picture with your phone.

Those who get reimbursed for qualifying travel normally also have a deductible amount of $3 for a one-way trip or $6 for a round trip, with a maximum of $18 per calendar month. That means if you travel a round trip of 20 miles to reach your VA appointments, you would be reimbursed $2.30 ($8.30 for a 20-mile round trip, minus the $6 deductible). However, these deductibles can be waived for financial hardship.

The VA also will pay travel reimbursement for an authorized family caregiver, under the VA Family Caregiver Program , or other medically required attendants.

In certain situations, the VA will reimburse you for specialized medically necessary transportation services like an ambulance, if required. For this type of transportation, you need VA pre-approval. Contact your provider for more details. The VA will also pay for lodging in certain situations if required.

The mileage rates and deductibles can change annually, depending on economic factors.

Filing A Travel Claim

The VA is trying to get everyone to file their travel claims online via its new Beneficiary Travel Self Service System, or BTSS . If you have problems filing online, you can file a travel claim at kiosks located in VA medical centers, help desks or patient services offices at many VA hospitals or local clinics. You also can file a hard-copy claim via postal mail.

On their YouTube channel, the Veterans Health Administration says in a video explaining the online filing system that those who file a claim online should see payment in 3-5 business days, while those who file other ways may have to wait up to 45 days for any reimbursement.

Accessing the BTSS system is done using your MyHealtheVet, DSLogin or by creating a verified account with the ID.me system. Once logged into the system, your VA appointments are prefilled, allowing you to submit a claim in just a few clicks.

Those traveling to a disability compensation medical exam often receive mileage checks automatically from the contractor without having to file a claim with the VA, however the contractors' websites often do not let you claim additional fees such as public transit, rideshares, etc.

Is it worth it to spend three hours filing a claim for $2.30? Everyone's situation is different. But if you're regularly dropping $20-$50 on an Uber or parking and spending three hours of your day in medical appointments, it may make things a bit less painful.

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