Claim travel expenses under the MRCA or DRCA

We may reimburse you if you incur cost to attend treatment covered by your Veteran card. We may also reimburse you if you had to travel to, or get evidence for, a Veteran Review Board hearing.

Who we may reimburse

We may reimburse your travel costs if you are travelling for treatment, and hold either:

• a Veteran Gold Card, granted under the MRCA
• a Veteran White Card, granted under either the MRCA or the DRCA

Other Acts

If we accepted your conditions under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA), or if you are eligible for treatment under Non-Liability Health Care (NHLC) arrangements, you may be eligible for travel assistance under the VEA travel for treatment arrangements.  Claim travel expenses under the VEA.

What we may reimburse

You have an entitlement to reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses to access treatment covered by your Veteran card, including transport, accommodation and meals.

We can do this if you have conditions accepted under:

• the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA), which covers service after 30 June 2004
• the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA), which covers certain service before 1 July 2004

Other travel reimbursements

We may reimburse your travel costs if you attended a medical examination at DVA’s request

If we cover you under the MRCA, we may also reimburse you if you had to:

• get evidence for a Veteran Review Board (VRB) hearing
• attend a VRB hearing

Our page Claim travel expenses under the VEA will show you the rates if you travelled to get medical evidence for a VRB hearing, or to attend a VRB hearing.

We cannot access travel entitlements to:

• attend a hearing at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)
• be treated outside Australia
• go to your usual rehabilitation activities as part of your rehabilitation program

Travel to the Place Where Appropriate Treatment is Available (MRCA/DRCA)

You can access transport assistance when travelling to receive treatment of a condition covered by your Veteran card within Australia.  While you can attend treatment Australia-wide with the provider of your choice, travel reimbursements are assessed based on the Place Where Appropriate Treatment is Available (PWATA). Under legislation, the PWATA is the location of the health provider who is closest in distance and is: 

• recognised as an approved provider; and
• able to deliver the appropriate treatment.

We encourage you to attend treatment with a provider in your local area where possible however, we understand there may be reasons why you need to travel greater distances. These reasons may include: 

• unreasonable wait times to see local providers
• type of treatment - (for example you have a clinical need to see a certain provider)
• public transport accessibility. 

We may not pay the full amount of travel expenses you claimed if you travel to a provider who is not the PWATA.  If we need more information, we may need to contact to clarify your travel.

If you are not sure if your provider location would be considered the PWATA, you can call us on 1800 VETERAN (1800 550 455) before you travel.  We can also let you know about any additional information that may be needed to support your claim, such as a letter from your treatment provider. 

Travel entitlements

You can submit a travel claim for the reasonable cost of transport, accommodation and meals.

Transport

We can reimburse you for travel by:

• public transport – such as a bus, train or ferry
• air travel – (contact us for advice before you travel as it may need our approval) 
• a taxi or rideshare
• private vehicle 

Public transport, air travel, taxi, rideshare

If you have travelled to the PWATA, you can submit a claim for full reimbursement of the fare.

Private vehicle allowance

If you travelled 50km or more (in a round trip) in a private vehicle, you may submit a claim for private vehicle allowance.  If we pay you a private vehicle allowance, we can also reimburse you for parking costs incurred as part of accessing your treatment.   

Private vehicle travel is reimbursed at 68c per kilometre. 

If you travelled less than 50km (in a round trip), we may pay you the private vehicle allowance if:

• there is no public transport available in your location, or
• you have a condition that makes travel on public transport unreasonable

Road Tolls

Under the MRCA, we can reimburse you for road tolls incurred as part of accessing your treatment if we pay you a private vehicle allowance.  Tolls can be included in your MyService claim, or on the paper form. 

We cannot reimburse you for road tolls under the DRCA.

Accommodation and Meals

We use travel expense rates advised by Commonwealth Departments, such as the Australian Taxation Office, as a guide to determining if a cost is reasonable.

We may reimburse you for your accommodation expenses if it was reasonable for you to stay overnight to access your treatment. 

Some of the reasons include: 

• you have travelled a significant distance to the Place Where Appropriate Treatment is Available
• your health provider needs you to stay close for observation
• you had an appointment that is early in the morning or late in the afternoon
• your treatment affects your ability to drive or travel.

We may reimburse meals as a reasonable cost when you need to travel to access treatment covered by your Veteran Card.

You may need to provide supporting evidence for your claim for accommodation and meals. 

If you are unsure of your entitlements, please contact us before you travel. 

Pre-payment of travelling expenses

If you have eligibility under the MRCA and are experiencing financial hardship impacting your ability to travel for treatment, you may be eligible for pre-payment.   

After your travel, we will check what we paid you and if your travelling expenses were more than the pre-payment, we will pay you the additional amount.   If your travelling expenses were less than the pre-payment, you will need to repay DVA the difference. 

If you have eligibility under the DRCA and are experiencing financial hardship impacting your ability to travel for treatment, please contact us to discuss your options.

Travelling with an attendant

If you need assistance from an attendant while travelling, you can access support. A attendant is someone who is responsible, competent and able to help you with your physical, emotional or logistical needs while you are travelling. 

They do not need to have any medical qualifications or training.

They can be a spouse, partner, friend, or family member.

If you are travelling with an attendant, we may repay their travel costs the same way we will repay your own.

Accessing transport entitlements while on holidays or away from your usual residence

If you need to access treatment covered by your Veteran Card while travelling, you have an entitlement to travel assistance to attend the Place Where Appropriate Treatment is Available. 

After you have accessed treatment or have discharged from hospital, we will generally provide travel assistance to return you to your temporary residence, which will be your holiday accommodation.  In most cases we are unable to provide travel assistance to return you to your permanent residence. 

If an attendant accompanies you to access treatment while you are on holidays, contact us to find out what travel assistance they may be entitled to receive.   

Before travelling, you may wish to explore travel insurance options for yourself and other members of your travelling party.

We cannot pay costs for any of your travelling party adversely impacted by your need for treatment.

Travel for treatment if you live overseas

Contact us to discuss your individual circumstances.

How to apply

You can apply using MyService or a paper form. We recommend that you submit your claim as soon as possible after you travel. See Claim travel expenses under the VEA - How to apply. 

Receipts

You and your attendant need to keep receipts for:

• any transport (including road tolls and parking) 
• accommodation
• meals

You need to keep the receipts for 4 months after we process your claim.

How we reimburse you

We will reimburse your travel expenses into the account where you pay your pension or payment.

We will send you a letter that details the amount we have repaid you.

The letter will tell you how you can request a review of our decision.

How to request a review

Our page Appeal a transport decision tells you  how to request a review of our decision.

If you are covered by the DRCA, you must request a review within 30 days of receiving the decision letter.

If you are covered by the MRCA, you must request a review in writing within 12 months of receiving the decision letter.

Contact us

You can call us on 1800 550 455 if:

• you need information about your travel entitlements 
• you need us to book transport for you