Travel for treatment
On this page
- Travel for treatment under the VEA
- Booked Car with Driver (BCWD) service (VEA)
- NSW Country Taxi Voucher Scheme (CTVS) (VEA)
- Travel for treatment under the MRCA and DRCA
- Emergency and Non-Emergency Ambulance (all Acts)
- Lodging your travel for treatment claim (all Acts)
- What are the changes from 1 July 2026?
- Claims for trips taken before 1 July 2026
Are you being impacted by higher fuel costs when travelling to your DVA treatment?
Veterans have alternatives to driving their own vehicle to access treatment. This includes full reimbursement of taxi, rideshare, community transport and public transport fares. Full reimbursement is inclusive of fares that may increase as a result of increased fuel prices.
Veterans are encouraged to consider these alternatives if they are impacted by increases in fuel prices.
Veterans who travel using DVA’s Booked Car with Driver service, which is a door-to-door service for veterans who are older or more vulnerable, continue to travel with no out-of-pocket expenses.
You can submit a travel claim for full reimbursement of your fares online using MyService or by using a paper form.
DVA’s Travel for Treatment program helps DVA clients and their attendant with transport costs to attend treatment that is:
- covered by their Veteran Card
- within Australia.
Through DVA, you may be eligible for:
- reimbursement of travel expenses, including private vehicle allowance, parking, tolls, public transport, meals, and accommodation
- pre-arranged and pre-paid transport to and from medical appointments
- DVA funded ambulance services
Your access to travel entitlements may vary depending on both the legislation that determines your eligibility, and the location of the treatment provider you choose to attend.
The way we assess your travel entitlements will change from 1 July 2026, when DVA will consider claims for travel for treatment for journeys after 1 July under the improved Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2024 (MRCA).
Back to topTravel for treatment under the VEA
If you travel to attend treatment covered by your Veteran Card, or in connection with a claim for a Disability Compensation Payment or service pension, you may be eligible to claim travelling expenses under the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA).
Find out more about travel for treatment entitlements here:
Claim travel expenses under the VEA
Back to topBooked Car with Driver (BCWD) service (VEA)
BCWD is a service available to clients with eligibility under the VEA who meet the BCWD access criteria. To use BCWD, clients must be travelling to attend treatment covered by their Veteran Card. DVA uses contracted transport providers to deliver the BCWD service, with a focus on quality and reliability.
Bookings can be made online through MyService.
Back to topNSW Country Taxi Voucher Scheme (CTVS) (VEA)
VEA clients travelling to treatment using CTVS paper-based vouchers issued by their GP can instead access the Booked Car with Driver service.
Find out more about BCWD here: Access to the Booked Car with Driver (BCWD) Service
Back to topTravel for treatment under the MRCA and DRCA
Under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA) and the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988 (DRCA), you can claim reimbursement for the cost of reasonable travel expenses to attend treatment covered by your Veteran Card if:
- the journey exceeds 50km* of a return journey when travelling by private vehicle; or
- any length of a journey by public transport or ambulance where the accepted condition requires the use of this form of transport.
* In some circumstances, you may be eligible for reimbursement for journeys less than 50 kms.
Find out more about claiming reimbursement under the MRCA and DRCA here:
We may repay your travel costs under MRCA or DRCA
Back to topEmergency and Non-Emergency Ambulance (all Acts)
In the event of an accident or a health emergency, always call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance.
We will pay for an ambulance service when medically required for treatment of a condition covered by your Veteran Card.
We may also pay for non-emergency ambulance transport when arranged by a medical provider. The provider will liaise with DVA to confirm you are eligible before they make the booking with the ambulance provider.
Find out more about Ambulance transport here: Ambulance Transport
Back to topLodging your travel for treatment claim (all Acts)
You can lodge your travelling expenses claims using DVA’s online service, MyService.
For more information, please visit the MyService website.
Alternatively claims can be made by completing form D0800 - Claim for Travelling Expenses.
Back to topWhat are the changes from 1 July 2026?
The MRCA rate of $0.68 a kilometre when a private vehicle is used to travel for treatment will apply for trips taken from 1 July onwards.
This is higher than the $0.44 currently payable under the VEA.
The 50km limit under the MRCA will also be removed for trips taken from 1 July.
VEA veterans will also become eligible for reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses incurred from 1 July 2026. This will replace the payment of allowances for meals and accommodation.
This means veterans will need to submit the receipts for most types of travel expenses so DVA can confirm the amount of the reimbursement.
Back to topClaims for trips taken before 1 July 2026
All claims for travel expenses on trips taken before 1 July 2026 will be assessed under the Act that applied at the time and date of travel (the MRCA, DRCA or VEA).
This will apply even if the claim is lodged after 1 July.
Only claims for trips taken from 1 July onwards will be assessed under an improved MRCA as the single ongoing Act.
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