Question About Travel Pay

[mobie16r]

Will the VAMC pay travel pay if you are schedule for an appointment and not service connected?

mobie

[evandc]

You Qualify If:

>

1. you have a service-connected (SC) rating of 30 percent or more, or

2. you are traveling for treatment of a SC condition, or

3. you receive a VA pension, or

4. your income does not exceed the maximum annual VA pension rate, or

5. you are traveling for a scheduled compensation or pension examination

[purple]

they "should" pay.....however,.............i couldn't get the Dayton VA nor the Cincinnati VA to pay my travel pay from the Dayton area to Ft. Thomas KY for PTSD treatment. Both VAs wanted the other to pay because I made the appts myself...I was not "referred" to Ft. Thomas. Even though it was for SC treatment!

I never rcvd a dime of travel pay....and that's a long trip. I finally stopped going.

Best of luck.

[halos2]

Another thing about receiving travel pay:

1) The VA will pay you zip code to zip code, not from your home to the clinic/hospital

2) The VA will pay you mileage for the closest hosp to you not the one you choose (ex.you live in Il but live closer to Ia hosp, yet you go to the Il hosp for appointments, you get paid to Ia hosp as the mileage is the closest zip code to zip code, not state related.

3) The first 3 appointments in the same month the VA will take out a copay automatically, but the 4th and there on in that month no copays taken out for the 4th and on.

4) The VA will pay you the total amt when going for a C&P exam, no copay taken out

[halos2]

Another thing about receiving travel pay:

1) The VA will pay you zip code to zip code, not from your home to the clinic/hospital

2) The VA will pay you mileage for the closest hosp to you not the one you choose (ex.you live in Il but live closer to Ia hosp, yet you go to the Il hosp for appointments, you get paid to Ia hosp as the mileage is the closest zip code to zip code, not state related.

3) The first 3 appointments in the same month the VA will take out a copay automatically, but the 4th and there on in that month no copays taken out for the 4th and on.

4) The VA will pay you the total amt when going for a C&P exam, no copay taken out

[purple]

what if the appts i was going to in KY were not available at the Dayton VA? this was the case at the time. i was going to the Ft Thomas facility for MST PTSD one-on-one therapy which was not available in Dayton at the time. Now I'm the "guinea pig" for this therapy at the Dayton VA. (oh yippie).

[mobie16r]

Thanks everyone for your response but evandc,you gave me the answer i was looking

mobie

[Teac]

You must also travel at least 55 miles round trip.... (unless it is for c/p exam and then the distance should not matter)

[hayley3]

Thank you halos2. I wondered what the cap was for. I was afraid that was the cap on the amount I could get. (Well ya never know with the VA)

I didn't know that about them calculating it by zip code either. I always wondered what program they use to calculate the distance. I get $23.00 for driving approx 140 miles roundtrip.

Susie

[danang_1969]

You Qualify If:

>

1. you have a service-connected (SC) rating of 30 percent or more, or

2. you are traveling for treatment of a SC condition, or

3. you receive a VA pension, or

4. your income does not exceed the maximum annual VA pension rate, or

5. you are traveling for a scheduled compensation or pension examination

Even if you meet these conditions don't expect to get your travel pay

without an effort and/or an argument. The VA will make every snow the veteran and deprive them of their travel pay until you back them in the corner.

Example: A couple of years ago I went for a C&P. Afterwards to the travel pay window for my travel pay.

They sent me to eligibility. Eligibility said you don't get travel pay because you make to much money. I said when did SS get to be too much money. I called the Veteran's Advocates office and told them the entire conversation I had with travel and eligibility.

I got the same run around. I said, ok, I will request this travel pay through another channel because I know C&P's pay travel pay regardless of any other factor. 5 minutes later the travel office called and said oh, we just realized the visit you were requesting travel pay for was a C&P. I said yea, I had told you that no less than 5 times. They sent my check. I Have had similar experiences getting travel pay since being rated. It is a fight most of the time.

Edited July 20, 2008 by danang_1969 (see edit history)

[john999]

Teac

I am going for a pension exam Monday and I hope I get paid. It won't be much even if I do get paid. I live about 20 miles from the VAMC. It is just far enough away for it to be pain to get there and close enough so I can't get paid for the hassel. I takes me an hour to get there because of no parking at the hospital and traffic.