Claim travel expenses under the VEA

We may reimburse your travel expenses to access treatment covered by your Veteran card. We may also reimburse your travel expenses to get medical evidence to support a DVA claim, and the costs of attending any hearings if you have asked us to review a decision.

Who we may reimburse

We may reimburse some of your travel costs if you are travelling for treatment covered by your Veteran Card, and hold either:

• a Veteran Gold Card
• a Veteran White Card, (including Non-Liability Health Care).

Other Acts

If you have a Gold or White Card under a different legislation, see Claim travel expenses under the MRCA or DRCA for details on how we can help.

Contact us to discuss your transport options if we treat you under either:

• the Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests and British Commonwealth Occupation Force (Treatment) Act 2006
• the Treatment Benefits (Special Access) Act 2019.

What we may reimburse

Under the VEA we may reimburse some of your travel costs, including transport, accommodation and meals:

We may reimburse some of the costs if you travelled to:

• treatment covered by your Veteran Card
• get medical evidence to support your claim for a Disability Compensation Payment
• get medical evidence to support your claim for Invalidity Service Pension or Income Support Supplement due to invalidity
• attend the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for a VEA matter or a Veterans’ Review Board (VRB) hearing
• get medical evidence for the VRB or the Specialist Medical Review Council (SMRC).

Travelling to the Closest Practical Treatment Location (VEA)

You can access transport assistance when travelling to receive treatment 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 distance to the Closest Practical Treatment Location (CPTL). Under the Legislation, the CPTL 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 may 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 CPTL. If we need more information, we may need to contact you to clarify your travel.

If you are not sure if your provider’s location would be considered the CPTL, 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

VEA travel rates are increased annually on 1 July using the latest Consumer Price Index. This calculation is specified in the Veterans’ Entitlements Regulations 1986.

This information is current from 1 July 2024

Transport Fare reimbursement

We may reimburse some of your transport costs, including the full cost of:

• public transport - such as bus, train or ferry fares
• air travel - (contact us for advise before you travel, as it may need our approval)
• taxi fares or rideshare charges

If you travelled with an attendant, we may reimburse the fare that each of you paid. Modes of transport that are shared, such as a taxi, are only paid once.

Private Vehicle reimbursements

We may reimburse some of your costs when travelling by private vehicle, including:

• Private vehicle kilometre allowance 43.3c/km
• Tolls
• Parking

Accommodation allowance

We may pay you an accommodation allowance 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 Closest Practical Treatment Location
• your health provider needs you to stay close by 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 accommodation expenses in other situations. Contact us to discuss your circumstances.

Meal allowances

Under the VEA, you are entitled to a meal allowance if you travelled more than 50 km one way to access treatment.

Meal allowance when you stay overnight

When we pay you an accommodation allowance, a separate meal allowance is not payable as meals are included in the accommodation rate.

You may be eligible for a separate meal allowance for the day you check out of your accommodation.

Accommodation and Meal Rates

Under the legislation, the allowances we can reimburse will depend on a number of factors including the type of accommodation and room you stayed in, if you stayed in a room by yourself or with your attendant, and the distance you travelled to get to your treatment.

* If you travelled with an attendant and stayed in separate rooms, we will reimburse the single rate for both you and your attendant.

^ A meal allowance is payable for yourself and for your attendant. If you stay overnight, the meal allowance is included as part of the accommodation allowance and is not paid separately. You may be eligible for a separate meal allowance for the day you check out of your accommodation.

Pre-payment of travelling expenses

If you are experiencing financial hardship, 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 us the difference.

Travelling with an attendant

An 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.

We are not able to reimburse your attendant for travel between their house and your own, nor any lost wages.

DVA cannot pay the salary or cost for a health care worker or qualified nurse to undertake the role of a travel attendant.

Costs for your travel attendant while you are in hospital

If you travel to hospital with your attendant, we may reimburse your attendant for either:

• a return trip to their residence at the time of your admission and a return trip to the hospital at the time you are discharged
• a contributing allowance towards their accommodation cost while you are in hospital.

The calculation of the contributing allowance that we can pay is defined in the legislation as the lesser of the:

• private vehicle kilometre allowance that would apply for the travel attendant's trip home and return trip to the hospital; or
• accommodation allowance that would apply based on time you are in hospital.

Under the legislation, the actual cost of accommodation is not a consideration when we calculate the contributing allowance.

Your attendant will not be reimbursed for any travel costs, including parking, to visit you while you are in hospital.

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 Closest Practical Treatment Location.

After you have accessed treatment or have discharged from hospital, we will provide travel assistance to return you to your temporary residence, which will generally 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.

Travelling to Australia for treatment if you live overseas

Contact us to discuss your individual entitlements.

How to claim a travel reimbursement

You can claim by:

• your MyService account
• using a paper form.

Transcript of How to claim a travel expense with MyService

If you do not have a MyService, you need to complete:

Claim form D0800 “Claim for Travelling Expenses” for travel relating to:

• approved medical treatment
• a claim for Disability Compensation Payment
• a claim for Invalidity Service Pension or Income Support Supplement due to invalidity
• a medical examination that we requested under MRCA and DRCA
• treatment under the Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests and British Commonwealth Occupation Force (Treatment) Act 2006.

Claim form D0803 “Application for Travelling Expenses in connection with a Review” if you travelled to:

• attend the ART or a VRB hearing
• get medical evidence for the VRB or the SMRC.

You have 12 months from the completion of your travel to submit your claim.

If you were unable to lodge your claim with-in 12 months, please let us know the reasons.

Receipts

You and your attendant need to keep receipts for:

• any transport (including road tolls and parking) if the cost is $30 or more for a return trip
• commercial or subsidised accommodation.

You do not need to keep receipts for:

• Kilometre allowances for private vehicles
• meals
• private accommodation.

You need to keep the receipts for 4 months from the date we process your claim. We may ask you to present the receipts during this time.

What if I need help filling out your forms manually or online?

If you need help, you can telephone DVA General Enquires on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) or visit a local Veterans' Information Service (VIS) or Veterans' Access Network (VAN) for assistance.

Alternatively ex-service organisations have pensions and welfare officers who will be able to help you.

How we reimburse you

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

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

How to request a review

If you do not agree with a decision we have made (for example, we did not pay your travel expenses because your claim was lodged more than 12 months after you travelled) you can ask us to review our decision.

Information about requesting a review is available at Appeal a transport decision.

Contact numbers

You can call us on 1800 550 455 if:

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