Veterans can be reimbursed for mileage and other travel costs to community care appointments under the Beneficiary Travel program, the same benefit that applies to VA facility appointments. Community care visits are eligible as long as the care was approved or authorized through VA (for example, through a referral or the community care network), and the standard eligibility rules for the Beneficiary Travel program apply, including any applicable deductible.
The VA mobile app itself is not the primary place to file these claims. Travel reimbursement claims are typically submitted through the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS), which is accessed online at the VA's travel pay portal, not through the general VA app used for health records and messaging. Some veterans can also file in person at the VA facility that manages their travel pay, or by contacting that facility's Beneficiary Travel office directly, especially if they do not have reliable online access.
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Analyze my claim free →The form associated with this benefit is VA Form 10-3542, Veteran/Beneficiary Claim for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses, although BTSSS online submission has largely replaced the need to manually fill out and mail this form for most claims. Whichever method is used, there is a filing deadline: claims generally must be submitted within 30 days of the appointment date. Missing that window can result in a denial, though there is sometimes a process to request an exception for good cause, so it is worth asking the facility's travel office if the deadline has passed.
When filing, veterans should have the appointment date, location, and purpose ready, along with mileage information, since BTSSS often calculates distance automatically once the appointment is verified in the system. If the appointment does not appear in BTSSS or cannot be selected, that usually means the appointment has not yet been loaded from the scheduling system, and waiting a day or two before trying again often resolves it.
For this specific situation, the concrete next step is to go to the BTSSS website (accessible through VA.gov or directly at the beneficiary travel portal) and file the claim there within 30 days of the appointment, or call the facility's Beneficiary Travel office if the appointment cannot be found online.
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