Travel Reimbursement

You may be reimbursed for travel expenses incurred for medical treatment or to pick up prescriptions related to your accepted condition(s) under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Act (EEOICPA). This includes mileage for using your privately owned vehicle (POV), lodging, meals and incidental expenses (M&IE).

Travel Reimbursement Under 200 Miles

You do not need to obtain authorization for travel by POV that does not exceed 200 miles roundtrip. Reimbursement for mileage is based on the rate established by the General Services Administration (GSA), which can be found on their website at: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/transportation-airfare-rates-pov-rates-etc/privately-owned-vehicle-pov-mileage-reimbursement-rates.

As an example: You drive 25 miles to the doctors office for an appointment related to your accepted condition(s). One you complete your medical appointment you drive 25 miles home. You have traveled a total of 50 miles associated with obtaining medical treatment for your accepted condition(s). You now complete a Form OWCP-957 and submit it for reimbursement of your travel expenses. The Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation’s (DEEOIC’s) bill pay agent will receive and process your claim for reimbursement. The current reimbursement mileage rate for 2018 is $0.545. You will receive payment in the amount of $27.25 from DEEOIC’s bill pay agent.

Travel Reimbursement Over 200 Miles

Travel other than by POV, overnight travel, and travel that exceeds 200 miles roundtrip requires authorization from your assigned DEEOIC claims examiner prior to travel. Upon authorization you will receive an approval letter detailing your trip along with information regarding reimbursement. You must also obtain authorization for a companion to travel with you. Your DEEOIC claims examiner will authorize additional daily allowance and lodging, if appropriate, for your travel companion if it is medically necessary prior to your travel.

Per Diem Rate

For authorized overnight travel, lodging and M&IE will be reimbursed according to the federal government per diem rate, and is based on the travel location. The reimbursement for lodging will be the actual amount, but not to exceed the daily federal government per diem rate. You must submit lodging receipts with your travel reimbursement request. The reimbursement for M&IE is based on a daily, flat- rate allowance for each day of authorized travel, and receipts are not required. The first and last days of travel are reimbursed at 75% of the M&IE allowance. The per diem rates can be found on the GSA website at: https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates.

Travel Reimbursement for Other Expenses

Local transportation costs, such as taxis, airport shuttles or bus fares are reimbursable separately from the lodging and M&IE allowance. The DEEOIC would like you to use airport or hotel courtesy shuttle services when available. You must submit receipts for reimbursement of any allowable expense of $75 or more. You must also submit receipts for lodging, airfare, rental cars, and fuel purchases for a rental car regardless of the amount.

Requesting Travel Reimbursement

To obtain reimbursement for covered travel expenses, complete the Form OWCP-957. You can list up to three single days of travel on each form.
When completing the Form OWCP-957, block 5d “Travel To” does not include a check block for “pharmacy,” therefore, check the blocks “home” to “home.” Block 5e, “Medical facility name and address” must include the pharmacy name, city, state and zip code for each visit. You must sign and ate the claim form in block 8.

Mail the completed Medical Travel Refund Request, with the required receipts securely attached to the form, to the medical bill payment agent at:

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program
P.O. Box 8304
London, KY 40742-8304

EEOICPA Liaison Services

As one of our clients you do not need to go it alone in obtaining benefits under the EEOICPA. Loyal Service Agency Inc. not only provides you the best in-home health care services but we also provide you our expertise and knowledge of the EEOICPA. We can assist you in filing a claim for travel reimbursement.

We specialize in assisting our clients and patients navigate the bureaucracy of the EEOICPA. Loyal Service Agency’s EEOICPA Liaison can also assist you in obtaining ancillary medical benefits, filing for reimbursement of out of pocket expenses, and many other available benefits under the EEOICPA.

Isn’t time for you to have someone dedicated to assisting you with your claims and benefits under the EEOICPA? Get your questions answered and join our family today by calling 1-855-485-6925.