Federal

DRIVE Act of 2023

Source: Congress.gov · 370 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill changes how much money the Department of Veterans Affairs pays veterans for traveling to health-related appointments. The bill requires the VA to increase its mileage reimbursement rate (payment per mile driven) for veterans using their own vehicles to get medical care.

Who It Affects

Veterans who receive health-related travel reimbursement from the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Beneficiary Travel program.

Key Provisions

• The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must ensure the mileage rate paid to veterans equals or exceeds the rate the federal government pays its own employees for using personal vehicles on official business. This rate is set by the General Services Administration (Sec. 2(a)). • The bill removes an outdated reference to a specific mileage rate from the law (Sec. 2(b)(1)). • The bill removes language that previously limited how the mileage rate could be adjusted (Sec. 2(b)(2)).

What Changes

Instead of using a fixed payment rate, the VA's mileage reimbursement will automatically match whatever rate the federal government uses to reimburse its own employees for personal vehicle use on official business.

Important Definitions

Beneficiary Travel program: a Department of Veterans Affairs program that reimburses veterans for travel expenses related to receiving health care.

II 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 592 To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the mileage rate offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs through their Beneficiary Travel program for health-related travel, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 1, 2023 Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to increase the mileage rate offered by the Department of Veterans Af- fairs through their Beneficiary Travel program for health-related travel, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Driver Reimbursement 4 Increase for Veteran Equity Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘DRIVE 5 Act of 2023’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:32 Mar 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S592.IS S592 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •S 592 IS SEC. 2. PAYMENTS OR ALLOWANCES BY DEPARTMENT OF 1 VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR BENEFICIARY TRAV- 2 EL. 3 (a) MINIMUM PAYMENT AMOUNT.—Subsection (g) of 4 section 111 of title 38, United States Code, is amended 5 to read as follows: 6 ‘‘(g) The Secretary shall ensure that the mileage rate 7 described in subsection (a) is equal to or greater than the 8 mileage reimbursement rate for the use of privately owned 9 vehicles by Government employees on official business 10 (when no Government vehicle is available), as prescribed 11 by the Administrator of General Services under section 12 5707(b) of title 5.’’. 13 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Such section is 14 further amended— 15 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘(at a rate of 16 41.5 cents per mile)’’ and inserting ‘‘(at a rate de- 17 termined in accordance with subsection (g))’’; and 18 (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘and not- 19 withstanding subsection (g)(2) of this section’’. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:32 Mar 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S592.IS S592 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB

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