Beneficiary Travel Self Service System BTSSS

VA travel pay reimbursement through the Beneficiary Travel program pays eligible Veterans back for mileage and other travel expenses to and from approved health care appointments. Currently, the rate is 41.5 cents per mile and is subject to a $6-deductible per round-trip, up to $18-dollars per month.

VA offers two types of travel pay reimbursement: general health care travel and special mode transportation. As a Veteran, you may be eligible for one or both. A Veteran may be eligible for beneficiary travel services if the following criteria are met:

• have a service-connected (SC) rating of 30 percent or more, or;
• are traveling for treatment of a SC condition, or;
• receive a VA pension, or your income does not exceed the maximum annual VA pension rate, or;
• are traveling for a scheduled compensation or pension:

           -C&P at your local VAMC is covered by your BT Office.

           -Community based C&P is covered by the VBA.

• have a vision impairment, spinal cord injury or disorder, or a double or multiple amputation who’s travel in connection with care provided through a VA special disabilities rehabilitation program (including programs provided by spinal cord injury centers, blind rehabilitation centers and prosthetics rehabilitation centers) if such care is provided on an in-patient basis or during a period in which you are provided with temporary lodging at a facility of the Department to make such care more access.

For new claims and any pending claims, log into BTSSS and create a profile. An updated profile is required now to file a claim online and to process previously hard copy claims. The Cincinnati VAMC’s Beneficiary Travel Lobby now has two kiosks setup for direct access to the BTSSS website for claim submissions.

Additionally, you can submit your travel claims using the Patient Check-In Process by texting “Check In” to 53079 and following the prompts. BTSSS Veterans Portal

• If system is used more frequently by users, we will be able to process claims in a timelier fashion.

              -FASTER PAYMENTS! 1-3 business days.

              -Faster processing than paper (current paper submission creates a friction point for manual review processing, up to 10-days to process).

• Upload necessary documents for Community Care appointments.

BTSSS automates the claims process to ensure timely processing and payment of travel reimbursement claims. With BTSSS, turnaround time to evaluate and settle a claim is generally less than 5 days. BTSSS allows Veterans and caregivers to submit claims 24/7, 365 days a year from a computer or mobile device. It also allows users to electronically track the status of a claim request.

• Enables Veterans to see their basic direct deposit information on file and submit updates if necessary.
• Allows users to have visual claim status.

Visit BTSSS Veterans Portal to get started. You will then be able to choose to log on using a DS-Logon Level 2 account, with a VA PIV card, or ID.me.

 For more tips and instructions on how to use BTSSS, watch our six-video playlist.

• BTSSS is strongly encouraged because:
• Combining electronic filing with direct deposit is the fastest way to be reimbursed.
• BTSSS provides an easy way to check the status of a travel claim.
• BTSSS is a self-adjudicating system, meaning once your account is set up properly and all your information is verified, self-submitting a claim in BTSSS means within 3-5 days you should be paid if no issues were found.
• When a Veteran files a paper claim, the Beneficiary Travel Team must manually load and process that claim in BTSSS for the Veteran. This takes significantly longer to process this way, leading to substantial backlogs, increasing the wait time to be paid for all Veterans filing this way.
• Logging into BTSSS is easy with any of these three methods - credentials for ID.me, a Level 2 DS-Logon account, or VA PIV card.

Visit access.va.gov and select the Veteran Travel Claim Entry icon to get started. You will then be able to choose to log on using a DS-Logon Level 2 account, with a VA PIV card, with ID.me, or your My HealtheVet credentials. 

For more tips and instructions on how to use BTSSS, watch our six-video playlist.

BTSSS is strongly encouraged because:

• Combining electronic filing with direct deposit is the fastest way to be reimbursed.
• BTSSS provides an easy way to check the status of a travel claim.
• BTSSS is a self-adjudicating system, meaning once your account is set up properly and all your information is verified, self-submitting a claim in BTSSS means within 3-5 days you should be paid, regardless of any paper backlog the Beneficiary Travel Office may be experiencing.
• When a Veteran files a paper claim, the Beneficiary Travel Team must manually load and process that claim in BTSSS for the Veteran.  This takes significantly longer to process this way, leading to substantial backlogs, increasing the wait time to be paid for all Veterans filing this way.
• Logging into BTSSS is easy with any of these three methods -- credentials for ID.me, My HealtheVet, or a Level 2 DS-Logon account.

Starting next year and reoccurring quarterly, the Cincinnati VAMC’s Mobility Manager will be holding a Veteran education course to help BT eligible Veterans with travel reimbursement. Training will be held at the newly established Easterseals Redwood location at 2901 Gilbert Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45206. You will be able to see the new community resources that were developed with the Veteran’s needs in mind and the ability to access technology capable of filing for travel reimbursement or other resources that Easterseals can provide.

Getting to and from medical appointments is important for our Veterans. By having access to reimbursement resources, it can be a changing factor in receiving necessary care.

If you are 30% service-connected, VA pension, or low-income, please join us on one of the following dates to receive training and access to technology to help you with travel reimbursement.

Please call option 2 to register for a course date.

January 3rd, 2025 – 0900-1100

April 4th, 2025 – 0900-1100

July 11th, 2025 – 0900-1100

October 3rd, 2025 – 0900-1100