Speaking Of Travel Pay...

[hedgey]

My better half is going to start Physical Therapy today. He's 50%, and the PT was ordered by the VA and it's for his SC shoulder condition. Got the Voucher, etc.

My question is, how does he get reimbursed for the Travel? Is there a form the PTherapist should sign for him? Who do we send it to?

Just wanting to know, because he's been authorized for 12 visits and that's going to add up in miles - the PT center is 27 miles one-way from door to door. (I know cause I go there for a non-SC related issue, so no travel for lil' ol' 10% me :o )

[steve&pat]

QUOTE

My question is, how does he get reimbursed for the Travel? Is there a form the PTherapist should sign for him? Who do we send it to?

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I usually photocopy the VA order sheet and each appointment date and turn it in at the travel pay window and get paid or if not they fill out a sheet and you get sent a check . You can also call it in at travel pay office.

STEVE & PAT

[hawkfire27]

Yes you can get travel if you ordinarily entitled to travel pay and the VA is paying for the PT treatments.

You need to contact the Travel Pay office at your nearest VA. My husband is having treatment off site and we travel 5 day a week about 60 miles away, at the end of the week we get a note from the treatment facility and take it to the VA on Fridays and they pay the whole weeks travel that day.

[shamrock]

Is there not a minimum number of miles you have to drive to receive travel pay? I want to say it is over 50 miles round trip, but I am not sure. If the facility is in the same community or a nearby by community, I don't think they pay. Also your car may shown 27 miles one way, but that is not how the va figures mileage. They have their own system to caluate mileage and it may only shown 23 miles one way. Sometimes you have to be thankful for what you get and try not to go overboard for too much. The most a round trip should cost you is less than $8.00 & as little as $5.00. That is not going to break anyone, unless they don't own a car. If the va does not pay you mileage, then you can alway claim it as a deduction when you file your 2010 tax returns. Maybe you could schedule treatment for both of you on the same day as you said you also receive treatment there. I know some vets who travel 50 to 70 miles round trip & are not given travel pay because the va says it is in the same community or area.

[deltaj]

My better half is going to start Physical Therapy today. He's 50%, and the PT was ordered by the VA and it's for his SC shoulder condition. Got the Voucher, etc.

My question is, how does he get reimbursed for the Travel? Is there a form the PTherapist should sign for him? Who do we send it to?

Just wanting to know, because he's been authorized for 12 visits and that's going to add up in miles - the PT center is 27 miles one-way from door to door. (I know cause I go there for a non-SC related issue, so no travel for lil' ol' 10% me :o )

I suggest you have your better half call V.A. and give permission for you to discuss his eligibility for beneficiary travel pay over the telephone. I searched online under eligibility for beneficiary travel AND veteran . I suggest you read 38 USC 111 on elibility for beneficiary travel. I tied to figure out what a V.A. facility is. I searched online under fee basis AND beneficiary travel pay. I found out that on the main page of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs there is a link for Non-V.A. Healthcare Services (Fee Basis Program). I think V.A. uses this term to deceive veterans into believing that they have no eligibility for beneficiary travel pay. V.A. also uses the term uniformed services hospital. If you read 38 CFR 17.50 , it could be inferred that use of certain outside hospitals could provide eligibility for beneficiary travel. I assume from your post that your better half will receive physical therapy for a service-connected disability rated 30% or more. Will he be receiving physical therapy at a hospital or will he be treated at some other sort of facility?

[hawkfire27]

Is there not a minimum number of miles you have to drive to receive travel pay? I want to say it is over 50 miles round trip, but I am not sure. If the facility is in the same community or a nearby by community, I don't think they pay. Also your car may shown 27 miles one way, but that is not how the va figures mileage. They have their own system to caluate mileage and it may only shown 23 miles one way. Sometimes you have to be thankful for what you get and try not to go overboard for too much. The most a round trip should cost you is less than $8.00 & as little as $5.00. That is not going to break anyone, unless they don't own a car. If the va does not pay you mileage, then you can alway claim it as a deduction when you file your 2010 tax returns. Maybe you could schedule treatment for both of you on the same day as you said you also receive treatment there. I know some vets who travel 50 to 70 miles round trip & are not given travel pay because the va says it is in the same community or area.

Hi Shamrock! Yes your are right, 50 miles or less round trip and you are not entitled to travel. 51 miles and over round trip and you are entitled to travel pay. LOL! The VA system for travel pay is the online website www.mapquest.com. You can easily log on yourself to see the mileage from your house to the VA facility you are going to.

AS for your vet friends that travel 50-70 miles round trip, if it is more than 50 miles it doesn't matter what community they are in it is still over 50 miles and they are entitled to travel pay.

The El Paso travel pay office told me that veteran that are ordinarily eligible for travel pay, that have been referred by a VA physician to another non-VA facility, being a hospital, doctors office, or PT facility is entitled to travel pay if they must travel 51 miles or over round trip. So even if you are to meet someone in there home as long as you are referred by the VA under fee-base care and it is over 25 miles away you get travel.

Edited March 6, 2010 by hawkfire27

[hedgey]

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate them.

Yes, he's going to the Physical Therapy on a voucher from his VA doctor. It's for his SC condition and he's 50%.

It's weird what's been said about it having to be more than 50 miles. When we go to the VAMC for anything, I always went and got my Travel for trips to the VA podiatrist for my SC foot condition. That trip was only 20.1 miles one way.

Now my podiatrist has quit working for the VA, so I'm working on getting a Voucher to see her (no podiatrist at the clinic yet). But that's another discussion.

Thanks again!