DRIVE Act of 2025

Driver Reimbursement Increase for Veteran Equity Act of 2025 or the DRIVE Act of 2025

This bill increases the mileage reimbursement rate available to beneficiaries for travel to or from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 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.

The bill also requires the VA to ensure that an allowance based on mileage is paid not later than 90 days after the request is properly submitted to the VA.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1288 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1288

  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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2025

  Ms. Brownley (for herself, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. Vargas, Mr. 
 Sherman, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Budzinski, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Hoyle of Oregon, 
Ms. Norton, Mr. Obernolte, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Lieu, and Ms. 
    Titus) introduced the following bill; which was 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 Affairs through their Beneficiary 
   Travel program for health related travel, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Driver Reimbursement Increase for 
Veteran Equity Act of 2025'' or the ``DRIVE Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. PAYMENTS OR ALLOWANCES BY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR 
              BENEFICIARY TRAVEL.

    (a) Minimum Payment Amount.--Subsection (g) of section 111 of title 
38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(g) The Secretary shall ensure that the mileage rate described in 
subsection (a) is equal to or greater than the mileage reimbursement 
rate for the use of privately owned vehicles by Government employees on 
official business (when no Government vehicle is available), as 
prescribed by the Administrator of General Services under section 
5707(b) of title 5.''.
    (b) Timely Processing of Allowances.--Subsection (b) of such 
section is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(5) If, with respect to any fiscal year, the Secretary exercises 
the authority under this section to make any payments, the Secretary 
shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that an allowance 
based on mileage paid under subsection (a) is paid not later than 90 
days after the date on which a request for such allowance is properly 
submitted to the Secretary in accordance with such regulations as may 
be prescribed by the Secretary.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--Such section is further amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``(at a rate of 41.5 
        cents per mile)'' and inserting ``(at a rate determined in 
        accordance with subsection (g))''; and
            (2) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``and notwithstanding 
        subsection (g)(2) of this section''.
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