WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced that eligible Veterans can now submit and track “mileage-only” travel claims directly from a smartphone or mobile device via the VA Health and Benefits mobile app.

The app, which has more than three million downloads, automatically identifies when a Veteran’s appointment may be eligible for mileage reimbursement and displays a prompt on the home screen. Submissions require just a few taps to confirm details.

The new feature will potentially reduce the number of paper claim submissions, which can take longer for VA to process.

Veterans who meet certain criteria, such as having a service-connected disability rating of 30% or higher, are eligible for health care travel reimbursement if they traveled in their own vehicle from their home address to their VA medical appointment.

“VA is evolving to meet the needs of today’s Veterans, and this new feature is proof of that,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “We look forward to rolling out many more improvements in the future as we continue to make the department work better for the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors we serve.”

For more information about how to use the mobile app and its new features, or to download the app visit the Mobile VA Health and Benefits page. 

Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov

Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.

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