# What Is the VA Veterans Transportation Service (VTS)? How VA's Own Rides Work

Canonical URL: https://nemtguide.com/glossary/veterans-transportation-service/ · Updated 2026-09-30

The Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) is the VA program in which VA medical facilities drive veterans to and from VA or VA-authorized care in vehicles VA owns or leases, free to the rider. Veterans book through VetRide or the facility's transportation office. VTS does not buy rides from outside companies, but the special mode rides VA arranges, such as stretcher trips, go to contracted vendors.

- VTS rides are free and run in VA-owned or leased vehicles with VA drivers. VA's own policy bans personal vehicles for carrying patients.
- Anyone eligible for VA travel pay can ride VTS, and so can enrolled veterans who are not, but no one can claim both for the same trip.
- VTS drivers may not enter a home or help move a rider into or out of a wheelchair or stretcher, so those riders need other options.
- When VTS runs out of room, the facility must help each veteran it turns away find another way to get there.
- VA's legal authority to run these rides is temporary. The latest extension, signed September 2, 2026, runs to December 11, 2026.

## What the Veterans Transportation Service is

VTS is how VA itself drives people to care. Under [38 CFR 70.70](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I/part-70/subpart-B), VA transports eligible people to or from a VA or VA-authorized facility, or another place, for examination, treatment, or care. VA's policy for the program, VHA Directive 1695(1) (September 18, 2019, amended November 22, 2022), says VA provides these rides directly, in vehicles VA owns or leases. The same directive bans personal vehicles for carrying patients, with no exception.

VTS is one part of VA's Veterans Transportation Program. The other parts are beneficiary travel, which pays veterans back for travel costs, and the Highly Rural Transportation Grant program. VTS is also separate from the Volunteer Transportation Network, the volunteer driver rides VA runs with Disabled American Veterans. Veterans request VTS rides through VetRide, VA's online ride service and app, or by calling the transportation representative at their VA facility.

At each facility that takes part, a VTS mobility manager runs the program, with transportation coordinators and drivers hired as permanent VA employees. The directive also covers volunteers who drive VA vehicles for VTS. The directive also makes the mobility manager the facility's contact for rural ride grantees, veterans service organizations, local transportation providers, and state veterans and transportation agencies.

### Its legal authority is temporary

VA's power to run these rides comes from [38 U.S.C. 111A](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title38-section111A&num=0&edition=prelim), and it has an end date written into the law. Congress has moved that date many times since 2013. The latest change, in Public Law 119-103, signed September 2, 2026, pushed it from September 30, 2026 to December 11, 2026. Watch for the next extension if you coordinate with a VA facility's transportation office.

## Who can ride VTS

VTS reaches more people than VA travel pay. Under [38 CFR 70.71](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I/part-70/subpart-B), VA facilities may carry:

- Anyone eligible for beneficiary travel, though no one may claim both for the same trip
- Enrolled veterans, for scheduled visits, urgent care, unscheduled visits, and picking up or being fitted for medications, prosthetics, or a service dog
- Veterans not yet enrolled, for a compensation and pension exam, a walk-in visit, or to apply for care
- Servicemembers, Family Caregivers, attendants, people in VA counseling, and certain CHAMPVA members treated at a VA facility
- One guest per veteran, if room is left after everyone else

There are limits. VA may refuse a rider whose behavior has put or could put others at risk. Only one companion may ride unless a VA clinician says more are needed. A child under 18 may ride only with a parent's or guardian's consent and the facility director's approval, and not at all where state law requires a car seat or booster.

### Who rides first when vans are full

When a facility cannot carry everyone who asks, [38 CFR 70.73(c)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I/part-70/subpart-B) sets the order: enrolled veterans first, then veterans not enrolled, servicemembers, Family Caregivers, people in counseling, CHAMPVA members, and guests. The facility also weighs who asked first, clinical need, whether the person can travel on their own, and what other rides are available, such as common carriers and veterans service organizations. It must then help each person it turns away find another way to get there.

## How VTS compares with VA's other ride help

| Program | Who drives | Who pays | Where a ride company fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Transportation Service | VA employees or VA volunteers, in VA-owned or leased vehicles | VA. Free to the rider. | It does not buy outside rides, but it must help veterans it cannot carry find another ride. |
| Volunteer Transportation Network | Volunteers, often through Disabled American Veterans | Free to the rider | None. Riders must get in and out of the vehicle without the driver's help. |
| Beneficiary travel mileage | The veteran, family, or a friend | VA pays back 41.5 cents a mile, after a $3 one-way deductible capped at $18 a month (VA mileage page, July 24, 2026) | Indirect. See [VA beneficiary travel](https://nemtguide.com/guides/va-beneficiary-travel/). |
| Special mode transportation | Contracted ambulance, wheelchair van, and stretcher companies | VA pays the vendor | The main paid work. See [VA special mode transportation](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/va-special-mode-transportation/). |
| Highly Rural Transportation Grants | A veterans service organization or state veterans agency, or an organization it pays | Grant funds. Free to the rider. | A grantee may pass funds to other organizations named in its application. |

## What VTS will and will not carry

VHA Directive 1695(1) sets the rules VTS drivers follow. They explain why some veterans still need a private company:

1. **Wheelchairs ride in accessible vehicles.** Wheelchair trips use ADA-compliant vehicles with lifts, driven by staff trained in loading and tie-downs.
2. **No one rides seated on a scooter.** A veteran who cannot move to a vehicle seat must ride in a regular wheelchair that can be secured.
3. **Oxygen needs notice.** Tanks ride only in holders VA approves, and oxygen must be disclosed when the trip is scheduled.
4. **Only service dogs.** No other animals ride VTS vehicles.
5. **Help stops at the door.** Drivers may help riders on and off the vehicle and to the front door. They may not enter the home or help load a rider into or out of a wheelchair or stretcher.

That last rule is the gap your company can fill. A rider who needs [door-through-door](https://nemtguide.com/glossary/door-through-door/) help or a stretcher usually needs special mode transportation. Special mode means an ambulance, wheelchair van, or other vehicle designed for disabled riders ([38 CFR 70.2](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-70.2)). VA pays for one when the ride is medically needed, the veteran is eligible for travel pay and cannot cover the cost, and VA approves it before the trip, except in an emergency ([38 CFR 70.4(d)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-70.4)). The directive has the mobility manager confirm those criteria before booking a special mode ride with a vendor.

## Where your company fits

VTS itself will never send you a trip or a check. The work around it can.

1. **Special mode contracts.** VA estimates that over 99 percent of its payments for wheelchair and stretcher van rides are made under contracts (Federal Register, February 16, 2023). Learn how medical centers buy those rides in [VA transportation contracts](https://nemtguide.com/guides/va-transportation-contracts/).
2. **The mobility manager.** Introduce your company to the VTS mobility manager at your nearest VA medical center. The directive makes that person the contact for local transportation providers, and the facility must help veterans it turns away find other rides.
3. **Rural grants.** In counties with fewer than 7 people per square mile, VA funds free rides through veterans service organizations and state veterans agencies ([38 CFR 17.701 to 17.703](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-17.703)). A grantee may pay subrecipients named in its application to do the work. VA's list of rural rides (last updated June 17, 2026) covers counties in 12 states and names public transit agencies, senior centers, and county offices as providers. See [rural NEMT](https://nemtguide.com/guides/rural-nemt/).
4. **Private pay.** A veteran who does not qualify for a VA ride can still pay you directly. Whether VA pays any of it back depends on travel pay rules. See [VA beneficiary travel](https://nemtguide.com/guides/va-beneficiary-travel/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Veterans Transportation Service free?

Yes. VA describes the Veterans Transportation Program as free rides to and from VA health appointments, requested through VetRide or the transportation representative at the veteran's VA facility (VA ride request page, updated June 25, 2026). The veteran must be enrolled in VA health care, the appointment must be at a VA facility or a VA-authorized community care provider, and each facility sets its own request deadline.

### Can a veteran use VTS and also get travel pay for the same trip?

No. Under 38 CFR 70.71(a), everyone eligible for beneficiary travel is also eligible for VTS, but no one may claim benefits under both programs for the same trip or any part of it. VA's travel pay page (updated July 24, 2026) also says a trip on a free service, such as DAV rides, VA's own program, or no-cost city or state rides, cannot be claimed, because there is nothing to pay back.

### Does VTS hire private ride companies?

Not for its own rides. VA's VTS directive says VA provides VTS directly with vehicles it owns or leases, and it bars personal vehicles for carrying patients. Outside companies get VA work in other ways: special mode contracts for wheelchair van, stretcher, and ambulance rides that meet VA's criteria, and rural ride programs run by grantees that may pay other organizations to drive.

### Can VTS carry a veteran in a wheelchair?

Yes, in wheelchair-accessible vehicles with lifts and trained drivers. But VA's directive bars VTS drivers from entering the home and from helping load a rider into or out of a wheelchair or stretcher, and no one rides while seated on a scooter. A veteran who needs that help, or who needs a stretcher, usually needs a special mode ride instead, which a VA clinician must approve.

### Could VTS stop running?

The authority behind it is temporary. Section 111A of title 38 lets VA transport people to and from VA facilities, and the authority expires on the date in the law. Public Law 119-103, signed September 2, 2026, moved that date from September 30, 2026 to December 11, 2026. Congress has extended it many times since 2013.

## Official resources

- [VA: How to request rides to VA health appointments (VetRide and transportation representatives)](https://www.va.gov/resources/how-to-request-rides-to-va-health-appointments/)
- [VA: Transportation options for VA health appointments](https://www.va.gov/resources/what-are-my-transportation-options-for-va-health-appointments/)
- [VA: Free rides in highly rural areas, by state and county](https://www.va.gov/resources/transportation-to-va-health-appointments-in-highly-rural-areas/)
- [eCFR: 38 CFR part 70, Veterans Transportation Programs](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/chapter-I/part-70)