To help offset rising transportation costs for America’s military veterans, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) proposed a bipartisan bill to increase reimbursement rates when veterans must travel to receive medical care provided through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“Inflation and rising costs have resulted in more and more veterans shouldering additional costs when traveling to receive health care provided by the VA,” Sen. Moran said. “Raising reimbursement rates will help keep the Beneficiary Travel Program relevant and make certain travel-related costs are not inhibiting our veterans from receiving the care they deserve.”
Sen. Moran on Sept. 13 sponsored the Veterans Medical Mileage Adjustment Act of 2022, S. 4838, with eight original cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Jon Tester (D-MT), to increase the reimbursement rate for the VA’s Beneficiary Travel Program for eligible veterans who have to travel more than seven miles for VA-related health care.
Specifically, the VA mileage reimbursement rate would increase from $0.415 to $0.455 per mile, and the bill would help cover the out-of-pocket expenses veterans and their caregivers incur when scheduled health care of medical disability examinations require them to travel more than seven miles, or more than 14 miles round trip, according to a bill summary provided by the senator’s staff.
Additionally, the bill would incorporate findings from the annual Internal Revenue Service study on transportation costs showing an increase in fuel, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, and other costs to lessen the burden on veterans and caregivers, the summary says, and apply the increase to any veteran or caregiver currently eligible for the Beneficiary Travel reimbursement benefit for travel that occurs after enactment of the measure.
U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and two Democratic cosponsors on Sept. 15 introduced the companion bill, H.R. 8854, in their chamber. “This legislation will increase the mileage reimbursement rate to protect our veterans from government-created inflation,” said Rep. LaMalfa.
The proposed legislation is endorsed by the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., Disabled American Veterans, and the Wounded Warrior Project.