BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – In 2020, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a new way for veterans to be reimbursed for travel for medical treatment. While this was supposed to make it easier for people to submit claims, vets in rural communities have had difficulties accessing it.
VA Clinics provide important services for those who have served, but for some veterans, the distance they may have to travel to get there can prove challenging. The Department of Veterans Affairs reimburses travel costs through the online “Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System,” but that hasn’t always been the case.
“You used to get your travel pay at the VA. You go to the cashier’s window and you get your travel money. They stopped that, now you have to use a computer, go to the government travel pay site, and ask for your travel pay that way,” said Kim Kay McCarty-Martin, the Montana American Legion’s North-Central Zone Commander.
Using a computer to submit a claim can provide hurdles depending on your location and accessibility. In parts of rural Montana, it may not even be possible due to a lack of internet access. Senator Jon Tester says he has received multiple complaints from veterans throughout the state because of this.
Last week, the Senator sent out a letter calling on VA Secretary Denis McDonough to make improvements and create more awareness of this benefit. In it, Tester says: “It seems rural veterans and those that are less tech-savvy are still being left behind. If they haven’t already, some veterans who have been struggling with BTSSS will give up on accessing this earned benefit… I think we can agree that even one veteran skipping one appointment, because they cannot afford the gas to get there, is not acceptable.”
Some suggestions include making the system more user-friendly and enforcing training for all front office clinic staff so that they can teach patients how to use the system.
McCarty-Martin also says another challenge is waiting for reimbursement. She says claims are about three months behind.
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