ptsd Travel pay (auto) to nearest residentail phcycological center for PTSD-MST care ? (BTW, I am 30% SC for hearing loss)

[MKAH]

I have looked thru the mileage topics but do not see my exact scenario.

Back in early July I spent a week at the BH_ICU lock down unit for PTSD located in Sacramento California.  During my short term care, the doctors submitted applications for me, all over the country for long term inpatient residential care.  Unfortunately every VA treatment center located in California and most other states all over the country, were full or could not treat my specific disability.  After becoming more stable, I was sent home for a few weeks under strict care from my family, our local VA clinic, and was classified as high risk while I waited for a VA residential treatment program to become available.

After about two weeks I was contacted via phone by the  Roseburg Oregon VA mental health hospital staff, which was a two month program.  After speaking with the Roseburg staff, my primary provider and the BC-ICU staff, we concurred that this would be a good medically necessary choice for treatment for my PTSD-MST and subsequently accepted the offer for treatment.

So I had my wife drive me from Redding Ca. to Roseburg Oregon on my scheduled addition date.  After arriving, I punched my VA ID card into the travel Kiosk in Oregon for travel reimbersiment.  After two months, I successfully completed the PTSD-MST care.  On ethe day of my discharge, my wife came back to Roseburg and picked me up.  We  traveled back to our hometown in Redding Ca. and submitted my request for travel benefits at my local VA.  I provided them a copy of my VA admission report, my KIOSK print out showing that I had arrived in Oregon as scheduled, and of course my discharge .  My request for reimbursement was for a single one way trip to Oregon, and a single one way trip back home to Redding  (about 500 mile total). 

Pretty straight forward, medically necessary and well documented (I thought).  However, the employee at my local travel office at the VA said she did not know how to submit my claim since it spanned more than a month, but she said would give it to the regular travel clerk in order to ensure it was done correctly.

A few days later, I stopped in to the VA clinic and confirmed that the travel clerk did indeed get the travel information.  She said she had everything I provided and they were trying to figure out of the Roseburg Oregon VA was going to pay foe the travel to the facility, so she had given my travel documents to her supervisor for review. 

So I stopped by again today, the clerk again confirmed that her supervisor had the travel documents, however they were having difficulty approving the mileage since it evolved an out of state trip.  The clerk said was very nice, but explained that her supervisor was not available, so she gave me her direct phone number so I could call her directly tomorrow.

All I know for sure is; I have traveled many times all over the state of California with now reimbursement problems.  I have not worked since 1/4/2016, have a family of four and simply can not afford to have a delay like this with my travel pay.

I am at a complete loss and very frustrated why this simple travel request has become such a complected matter. 

The question: Am I missing or not fully understanding a VA travel reimbursement policy, that excludes me from being compensated for round trip travel pay to this VA care facility that is located out of my home state?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2016 by MKAH
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