Veterans
Gas and travel help for veterans
Veterans have the most reliable mileage benefit in the country — plus a dense network of local funds that nobody advertises.
Do this first
Call your County Veteran Service Officer (CVSO). A CVSO is a trained, accredited advocate who knows which local veteran funds currently hold money, can often access county veteran relief funds directly, and files VA claims for you at no charge. This is the highest-yield first call available to a veteran.
Then file VA Beneficiary Travel for the money back — 41.5¢ per mile in 2026 — and if you cannot get there at all, ask about DAV volunteer drivers or the Veterans Transportation Service, which cost nothing up front.
VA Beneficiary Travel: the main benefit
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Rate | 41.5 cents per mile for approved health care travel in 2026 |
| How mileage is measured | VA uses Bing Maps and the fastest, shortest route from your home to the closest VA or authorised facility — not necessarily the one you chose |
| Deductible | Roughly $3 per one-way trip, $6 round trip, capped at $18 a month, after which trips are paid without deduction |
| Commonly exempt from the deductible | Veterans receiving a VA pension, travel to a Compensation & Pension examination, and special-mode transport such as an ambulance |
| How to file | BTSSS (the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System). File a new claim for each appointment, within 30 days. Paper form VA 10-3542 is still accepted but materially slower |
| Speed it up | Set up direct deposit |
Eligibility generally follows any one of: a service-connected rating of 30% or more; travel for treatment of a service-connected condition; receiving a VA pension; income below the applicable VA threshold; travel for a C&P exam; or former POW status.
Travel pay is a reimbursement, not an advance
It arrives after the trip. A veteran with an empty tank today cannot use it to reach tomorrow’s appointment. Use the CVSO, a veteran emergency fund, or a volunteer driver to get there — then claim the mileage.
Verify the current figures
The 41.5¢ rate and the deductible structure here come from secondary sources that agree with each other, and the rate changes periodically. Confirm the current figures on va.gov or with your VA travel office before relying on them.
Related VA travel benefits worth asking about
- Special mode transportation — ambulance or wheelchair van, when medically necessary and pre-authorised
- Meals and lodging reimbursement in certain circumstances
- Attendant travel — when a medically required attendant accompanies you
- Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) and the DAV Transportation Network — free rides to VA facilities, driven by volunteers. Where available this beats mileage, because nothing comes out of your pocket
Your County Veteran Service Officer
Most states fund county, parish or borough veteran service offices. A CVSO can:
- Tell you which local veteran funds currently hold money
- Access county veteran relief or emergency assistance funds, which in many counties can be used for fuel, car repair or transport
- File VA claims on your behalf, free of charge
County veteran relief funds are established by state statute and vary by county, with particularly strong systems in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Texas and California. There is no standard national “CVSO gas voucher”, which is precisely why the call is worth making — what exists locally is not published anywhere central. Search for your county’s veteran service officer, or go through your state Department of Veterans Affairs.
VFW Unmet Needs
- Grants, not loans, for veterans, service members and military families in unexpected financial hardship
- Eligibility: honourably discharged, or discharged within the past 72 months, with a hardship related to military activity — that last test is the most common reason for denial
- Covers utilities, housing, food and vehicle expenses
- Paid directly to the creditor, never to the individual
- Apply online only. The VFW Auxiliary advises helping applicants without computer access to apply from a library or a VFW post
We will not quote a grant cap
Sources disagree sharply on the maximum: older material says $1,500, a VFW release says up to $2,500, and a VFW Auxiliary piece says up to $5,000. Rather than publish a figure we cannot confirm, we suggest you check the current cap at vfw.org before applying.
Other veteran and military routes
| Organisation | What it may provide |
|---|---|
| Relief societies — Army Emergency Relief, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Air Force Aid Society, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance | Interest-free loans and grants, including for emergency travel and vehicle repair. These routinely fund emergency travel and are among the best fuel-adjacent benefits in the whole military system |
| American Legion | Temporary Financial Assistance for minor children of veterans; local posts also hold separate discretionary relief funds, which are informal and fast |
| DAV | The Transportation Network — free volunteer-driven rides to VA medical facilities. Also local chapter relief |
| Operation Homefront | Emergency financial assistance for military families: rent, utilities, food. Open to active-duty, veteran and transitioning service members |
| Semper Fi & America’s Fund | Financial assistance for critically ill or injured service members, all branches despite the name |
| Fisher House Foundation | Hero Miles and Hotels for Heroes — travel and lodging that removes the need to drive |
| SSVF (Supportive Services for Veteran Families) | Homelessness-prevention funds for very-low-income veteran families, which may cover transport costs. Reach it through the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, 1-877-4AID-VET |
| Veterans Crisis Line | Dial 988, then press 1. Not financial, but the right first call if the fuel problem is part of something larger |
Sources
- VA Beneficiary Travel and BTSSS guidance, via secondary veteran-services summaries; figures require confirmation on va.gov.
- VFW Unmet Needs programme releases (2014) and VFW Auxiliary guidance (2017).
- National Association of County Veteran Service Officers; state Department of Veterans Affairs locators.
- Operation Homefront and relief society programme descriptions.
Every figure on this page is taken from the programme's own published material or a government document. Where sources disagree or a figure could not be confirmed, we say so in the text rather than guessing. See how we verify.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the VA mileage reimbursement rate for 2026?
41.5 cents per mile for approved health care travel, according to multiple secondary sources that agree with each other. VA calculates the distance using the fastest and shortest route to the closest VA or authorised facility. A deductible of roughly $3 per one-way trip applies, capped at $18 a month, with exemptions including veterans on a VA pension and travel to Compensation and Pension examinations. Confirm current figures on va.gov.
How do I file a VA travel pay claim?
Use the BTSSS portal (Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System) and file a separate claim for each appointment within 30 days of the visit. The paper form VA 10-3542 is still accepted but can delay payment by weeks. Setting up direct deposit speeds up payment considerably.
Can a veteran get gas money today rather than reimbursement?
Yes, but not from Beneficiary Travel, which pays after the trip. Call your County Veteran Service Officer, who can often access county veteran relief funds quickly and knows which local funds have money. Ask at the same time about DAV volunteer drivers or the Veterans Transportation Service, which get you to the appointment at no cost at all.
How much is a VFW Unmet Needs grant?
We do not publish a figure, because the sources disagree substantially — older material says $1,500, a VFW release says up to $2,500, and a VFW Auxiliary piece says up to $5,000. Check the current cap at vfw.org. What is consistent is that it is a grant rather than a loan, that it is paid directly to the creditor, that the hardship must relate to military activity, and that applications are online only.
Is there help for a veteran living in a vehicle?
Yes. Call the VA National Call Center for Homeless Veterans on 1-877-4AID-VET, which routes to Supportive Services for Veteran Families and local VA homeless programmes. SSVF provides homelessness-prevention funds for very-low-income veteran families and may be able to cover transport costs. Our page for people living in a vehicle covers the proof-of-address problem too.