WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), is urging the Department of Treasury and Department of Veterans Affairs to better support veterans seeking the benefits they’ve earned. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and VA Secretary Denis McDonough, King and a bipartisan group of colleagues urge the federal government to address some important structural issues within the VA’s travel reimbursement program that is affecting the ability of veterans – especially low-income veterans and veterans in remote rural communities – to managing their VA Beneficiary Travel Pay reimbursements.

Under current federal law, most low-income veterans and veterans with a service-connected disability are entitled to reimbursements for travel to and from their VA medical appointments. For many veterans, especially low-income veterans in rural communities who have to travel long distances to access their VA health care, these reimbursements are essential. However, the current system for VA Beneficiary Travel Pay reimbursements has left too many veterans, who are entitled to travel reimbursement, waiting months with hundreds of dollars in unpaid claims at any one time – putting their financial stability at risk.

“Veterans who rely on this and other VA programs should have an easy way to ensure that they are receiving the benefits they are owed,” wrote the senators. “Our veterans deserve much better, especially when they are simply trying to receive the benefits they have earned.”

Many veterans across the country have complex health conditions and require numerous medical appointments each month. Under the current system, veterans who receive travel reimbursements via direct deposit are unable to reconcile travel claim payments with their bank statements. When veterans receive multiple reimbursements on varying timelines, it is exceptionally difficult to determine the status of each individual claim, leaving many veterans with outstanding claims they are unable to account for. 

In the letter, the senators asked Yellen and McDonough to respond to the following questions by January 15, 2024: How can veterans currently track individual beneficiary travel reimbursements after they have filed the initial claim; which agency bears responsibility for determining what information is included in the PPD of PPD+; and are VA and Treasury considering implementing a numerical identification system that veterans can use to track their individual claims and associated payments?

In addition to King, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) signed the letter.

Representing a state with one of the highest rates of veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. A member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs such as the PACT Act, the State Veterans Homes Domiciliary Care Flexibility Act, and the John Scott Hannon Act. In August, Senator King joined the Maine Delegation in sending a letter to the VA identifying challenges with the VA’s new Beneficiary Travel Self Service System, implemented more than three years ago, including processing delays and the need for a high-speed internet connection to access the system. Earlier this year, King also introduced bipartisan legislation to support veterans with mental traumas, as well as celebrated President Biden signing his legislation into law, which increases benefits for veterans and military families.

To read the full letter, click here.

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