Tessa Quinn
If you need to travel to a hospital for outpatient appointments or treatment, you may be able to get help with your travel costs. This includes travel by car, public transport, or taxi, as well as travel expenses for a friend or family member accompanying you to the hospital. To claim your travel costs, you will need to provide travel receipts, appointment letters, and proof of receiving qualifying benefits. Claims can be made through a nominated cashier's office at the hospital or clinic, or by submitting a refund claim form. In some cases, you may be eligible for advanced payment to help with your travel expenses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Who can claim? | Those who have to travel to outpatient appointments or treatment at a hospital, or those who need a friend or family member to accompany them to appointments. |
| How to claim? | Fill in a refund claim form HC5, which can be obtained from Health Service hospitals and Jobs and Benefits offices. |
| Time limit to claim? | Up to three months after your appointment. |
| What to provide? | Travel receipts, appointment letter or card, and proof of receiving a qualifying benefit. |
| Where to claim? | Nominated cashiers' offices located in the hospital or clinic that treated you. |
| Travel by car | Reimbursed for the cost of fuel at the mileage rate used by your local integrated care board (ICB). Also, claim parking and toll charges. |
| Travel by taxi | Agree this in advance with the hospital or ICB. |
| Travel by public transport | Claim for public transport costs. |
| Special cases | Patients in London may be able to claim reimbursement of congestion charges. |
| Advanced payment | In some cases, advanced payment is available to help patients attend their appointments. |
| Contact | For queries, contact the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) online or call 0300 330 1343. |
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What You'll Learn
Claiming travel expenses for a non-VA health facility
If you are a veteran or caregiver who is eligible for general VA health care travel reimbursement, you can claim reimbursement for travel to non-VA health facilities in certain circumstances.
Firstly, the non-VA health facility must be approved in advance, except in certain emergency situations. If you have an emergency while receiving care at a VA health facility and they cannot provide the care you need, they may pay for your transport to a non-VA facility for emergency treatment and back to the VA facility. If you have an emergency when you are not at a VA health facility, they may pay for your transport to a non-VA facility for emergency treatment. Contact your local facility within 72 hours of the emergency transport to determine your eligibility.
Secondly, you must meet one of the following requirements:
- You are travelling for treatment of a service-connected condition, even if your VA disability rating is less than 30%.
- You are travelling for a scheduled VA claim exam (also called a compensation and pension, or C&P, exam).
- You are travelling to get a service dog.
- You are travelling for VA-approved transplant care.
- You are a family caregiver under the National Caregiver Program travelling to receive caregiver training or to support the care of a veteran.
You can file your claim online, by mail, or in person at the VA facility where you received care. To do this, fill out a Veteran/Beneficiary Claim for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses (VA Form 10-3542). You must file within 30 days of your appointment or when you become eligible for reimbursement. You will need to provide receipts or proof of attendance records for non-VA care appointments. You should receive your payment within 3 to 5 business days.
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Claiming travel expenses for a VA health facility
If you're a veteran or caregiver who's eligible for general VA health care travel reimbursement, you can file your claims online. You can also file your claim by mail or in person at the VA facility where you received care. To do this, you'll need to fill out a Veteran/Beneficiary Claim for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses (VA Form 10-3542).
General health care travel reimbursement covers expenses for eligible veterans and caregivers, including regular transportation by car, plane, train, bus, taxi, or light rail. It also includes travel to and from approved health care appointments. You can also get reimbursed for travel to the closest VA health facility to your home that can provide the care you need. If your VA health care provider decides that you need to travel to another VA facility for care, the cost of travel to that facility will also be reimbursed.
The current mileage reimbursement rate is 41.5 cents ($0.415) per mile for approved, health-related travel. The mileage is calculated using Bing Maps, based on the fastest and shortest route from your home to the closest VA or authorized non-VA health facility.
To get reimbursed, you must pay a deductible of $3 one-way or $6 round-trip for each appointment, up to $18 total per month. After paying $18 within a month, you will be reimbursed for the full cost of approved travel for the rest of that month. You must file your claim within 30 days of your appointment. You should receive your payment within 3-5 business days.
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Claiming travel expenses for a family member or friend
If you need a friend or family member to accompany you to your hospital appointments, you may be able to claim their travel expenses, provided you meet certain criteria.
Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS)
The NHS's Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) allows patients to claim a refund of reasonable travel costs if they are referred to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests. To qualify for help with travel costs under the HTCS, you must meet three criteria:
- At the time of your appointment, you, your partner, or a dependent child travelling with you must be receiving at least one of the qualifying benefits or allowances.
- Your healthcare professional must deem it medically necessary for someone to accompany you.
- The appointment must be on a separate visit to when the referral was made.
How to Claim
To claim travel costs for yourself or a companion, take your travel receipts, appointment letter or card, and proof that you're receiving one of the qualifying benefits to a nominated cashier's office. These offices are typically located in the hospital or clinic that treated you. They will assess your claim and make the payment directly to you.
If the hospital or clinic does not have cashier facilities, you can complete an HC5(T) travel refund form and post it to the address stated on the form. You can make a postal claim up to three months after your appointment.
Travel by Car
If you travelled by car, you will be reimbursed for the cost of fuel at the mileage rate used by your local integrated care board (ICB). You may also be able to claim reimbursement for unavoidable car parking and toll charges.
Travel by Taxi
If you need to use a taxi, you should agree with the hospital or ICB in advance before your travel.
NHS Website Checking Service
You can also use the NHS website's checking service to see if you can get help with your travel costs and to find out more about your hospital's specific scheme.
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Claiming travel expenses for a child
If you are a parent or guardian accompanying your child to the hospital, you may be able to claim back travel expenses for journeys to and from the hospital. This applies regardless of your mode of transportation. For instance, if you use a private car, you can claim expenses for petrol and parking charges. If you use public transport, you can claim expenses for bus, tram, or train tickets.
To claim travel expenses, you will need to provide proof of your benefits each time. For Income Support, JSA, ESA, and Pension Credit, you must provide documentation dated within the last three months. For Universal Credit, you must show proof of take-home pay on the current month's assessment.
If you are on the Health Service Low Income Support Scheme, you may get back all or some of your travel costs. You can claim at the hospital or clinic at the time of your appointment by showing proof of a qualifying benefit, such as an award notice. You can also claim travel expenses up to three months after your appointment by filling out a refund claim form HC5, which can be obtained from Health Service hospitals and Jobs and Benefits offices.
In addition to travel expenses, you may also be able to include lodging expenses in your claim. For example, if you are travelling with a sick child, you can include up to a certain amount per night for lodging as a medical expense.
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Claiming travel expenses for a car
If you're travelling to the hospital by car, you may be able to claim travel expenses, depending on where you're based and your financial situation.
UK
If you're in the UK, you can claim hospital travel expenses if you or those you depend on receive at least one of the following: Universal Credit, Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, or Employment and Support Allowance. You can claim their travel costs too if an adult or dependent child has to travel with you to your treatment for medical reasons.
If you're claiming travel expenses for a car, you can claim for petrol and car parking charges, up to the cost of the same journey by public transport. The hospital should tell you the mileage rate for petrol costs for private transport. If public transport is unavailable or impractical, you'll need to contact the hospital ahead of your appointment to check your new travel arrangements are allowed.
US
If you're in the US, you may be eligible for travel pay reimbursement through the Beneficiary Travel program if you're a veteran travelling to and from approved healthcare appointments. You can also claim for travel expenses if you're a compensated work therapy patient. You can file your claim online, by mail, or in person at the VA facility where you received care.
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Frequently asked questions
Anyone who has outpatient appointments or treatment at a hospital and is eligible for the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS). This includes veterans who are receiving care at VA-approved facilities.
To qualify for help with travel costs under the HTCS, you must meet three criteria:
- At the time of your appointment, you, your partner, or dependant child must receive at least one of the qualifying benefits or allowances.
- You must be referred for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests by a doctor, dentist, or another primary care health professional.
- You must be able to provide proof of your entitlement, such as an award notice, and any travel receipts.
If your place of treatment issues payments, you can claim your money back during your visit by taking your travel receipts, appointment letter, and proof of entitlement to a nominated cashier's office. If your place of treatment does not issue payments, you will need to claim your expenses using an HC5(T) claim form, which you can download from the NHSBSA website or order a form to be posted to you. You can claim up to three months after your appointment.
Yes, you can claim travel expenses for an escort if your healthcare professional says it is medically necessary for someone to travel with you. You may also be able to claim travel expenses for a friend or family member who accompanies you to appointments.
