Travel Benefit Pay Problems!

[MCB10VET]

Hey everyone! I have a beef with the VA regarding travel pay. They appear to be messing with me, why I don't know! Went to VA today for a scheduled appointment(at 1:00 pm) I got there at 8:00 am, because it has taken me 4 hours to get the claim processed. I have had problems with this clerk before, but kept my mouth shut, and gave her my name and last 4 of my ss#. A half hour later she brings out the first bunch of the completed claim forms for us to sign and give to the cashier. I looked at mine and saw $39.65, instead of about $120.00. I got hot, but did not open my mouth. Went instead to Patient Advocate, and explained my problem. She say's "well, I know the answer, but I will call someone!" and she does. When she is through with the call, she say's " that's what I thought, your appointments to your primary care provider are only payable to the closest VA to your home, in this case 55 miles, versus 145 miles to VA from my place! I expressed my displeasure about that news, and said "I am 100% percent service connected, and the VA has been paying this since 2005! She say's "well, they made a mistake", however, she could not prove it. I left and drove home, and looked at the VA Benefits website online and it most certainly say's that I should be paid for travel, to any appointment having to do with my Service Connected Disabilities! Anyone else running into this?? I know the Government is out of money, but come on!! Oh yeah, I did not sign and cash the claim, because if I do, I am agreeing with the claim being correct! Take Care! Seabee

[COOL BREEZE]

Effective January 01 they are now basing the mileage by zip code that you live in not by address. I get about 9.50 cash for my visits. Stop of and have a free lunch on the way home courtesy of THE VA. Other smaller satellite facilities I check out with them and they send me a check for 5.00 in about a month. That is good for a value meal at Mcdonald's-thanks again

[halos2]

I occasionaly go to an outpatient clinic which is less than half an hour away and they have the form there, completed for me to sign and they send it to the closest VAMC the one they are based out of, even though they are in a different state too, and I get a check about 2 weeks after the appointment. I think I am going to use this clinic for my Primary Provider for medical as they have 2 part time physicians, where as the VAMC has a NP for my primary.

Besides I am familiar with one of the Docs. Both retired from the town where the VA Outpatient clinic is. They worked at the hospital prior. Also the staff at this clinic bend over backwards to be considerate and caring to all the vet patients. Wish I could say the same for all the staff at my VAMC. Some are great and some need to work with inadament objects.

[john999]

I have been agitating to get the VA to build a Clinic in S. Tampa area since there is an unused old armory. The congresswoman said they were going to do it in January 2011. I am still waiting. It takes me an hour of driving and shuttle bus to get to my VAMC and I don't get paid for travel.

[hedgey]

Effective January 01 they are now basing the mileage by zip code that you live in not by address. I get about 9.50 cash for my visits. Stop of and have a free lunch on the way home courtesy of THE VA. Other smaller satellite facilities I check out with them and they send me a check for 5.00 in about a month. That is good for a value meal at Mcdonald's-thanks again

Coolbreeze, is this a new written policy? I'm at one end of our widespread rural zipcode, and the CBOC is at the far side. Averaging two trips a week... the miles are adding up!!

[Philip Rogers]

It'll depend on your local RO, as each RO has the freedom to run their travel office as they like. My RO, in VT, started that zip code to zip code thing about 3-4 yrs ago. Technically, it's probably illegal, as the form you sign states "residence" address and the VA's address, not zip code to zip code. Just another way to cheat the vet.

pr

Coolbreeze, is this a new written policy? I'm at one end of our widespread rural zipcode, and the CBOC is at the far side. Averaging two trips a week... the miles are adding up!!

[hawkfire27]

Coolbreeze, is this a new written policy? I'm at one end of our widespread rural zipcode, and the CBOC is at the far side. Averaging two trips a week... the miles are adding up!!

For primary care you get paid to the nearest VA facility. If your outpatient clinic provides primary care then you get paid to there. If your outpatient clinic doesn't have dental or cardiac or something else, you get paid to the nearest VA that has these services.

Also if an appointment is made for you at a specific clinic by your primary care at the outpatient clinic (that doesn't provide the service) no matter what VA you get paid to the VA the appointment was made at.

For example.

My husband doesn't get paid to get to albuquerque for primary care. But our local outpatient doesn't have anything other than primary care so we get paid to go to Albuquerque when he has a specialty appointment like dermotology or something. His primary care makes appointments for cardiology in Tucson, AZ, five hours away for appointments because they have a heart research facility in their hospital and my husband has a cardio care history there, and we get paid for that.

Hope that explains it a little.