# Understanding the DRIVE Act

The DRIVE Act is about making sure veterans get fair reimbursement when they drive to medical appointments at Veterans Affairs facilities. Right now, the VA pays veterans a set mileage rate of 41.5 cents per mile to cover their travel costs to and from VA hospitals and clinics. This bill changes that by tying the veteran reimbursement rate to what the federal government pays its own employees when they use their personal vehicles for work.

Here's why this matters in practical terms: federal employees currently get reimbursed at a higher rate than 41.5 cents per mile when they drive for official business. By linking the veteran rate to the federal employee rate, the bill ensures that veterans won't fall behind if gas prices go up or if the government adjusts what it pays federal workers. Essentially, whenever the federal government increases what it reimburses its employees for mileage, veterans automatically get the same increase. This means veterans won't have to wait for Congress to pass a new bill every time travel costs change.

The bill affects any veteran who receives VA healthcare and drives their own vehicle to appointments. For someone traveling 50 miles to a VA facility, this could mean an extra dollar or two per trip compared to the current fixed rate, depending on what the federal rate is at any given time. It's a way of acknowledging that the cost of driving changes over time and that veterans shouldn't have to absorb those increased costs out of their own pockets when seeking the medical care they've earned.

DRIVE Act

Brownley, Julia

Driver Reimbursement Increase for Veteran Equity Act or the DRIVE Act This bill increases the mileage reimbursement rate available to beneficiaries for travel to or from Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in connection with vocational rehabilitation, required counseling, or for the purpose of examination, treatment, or care. Specifically, the bill makes the reimbursement rate for such travel equal to or greater than the mileage reimbursement rate for government employees using private vehicles when no government vehicle is available.