How Do I Get Medical Mileage Reimbursed by Workers' Comp in California?

California workers' compensation may reimburse reasonable travel expenses when a worker must travel for treatment of a work injury. The California Division of Workers' Compensation lists mileage, parking, and bridge tolls among those expenses, and it lists travel to doctors, hospitals, therapy, and pharmacies.

The mileage rate is tied to the date of the trip. For travel on or after July 1, 2026, the DWC lists $0.76 per mile. For travel on or after January 1, 2026 and before July 1, 2026, it lists $0.725 per mile. Use the rate and official form that apply to each trip date. Do not apply the July rate to an earlier 2026 trip or to trips from another year.

Start with the trip date and round-trip miles

The DWC mileage form asks for the date, where you traveled from, where you traveled to, round-trip mileage, parking, and tolls. A simple log makes the calculation easier and helps keep different rate periods separate.

This is an illustration of mileage only. Add documented parking and bridge tolls separately. If a request covers trips from more than one rate period, list each trip by date and calculate it under the rate then in effect. The DWC mileage-rate table lists the current and prior rates.

Which travel costs should you record?

Record reasonable travel connected to treatment for the work injury. The DWC's benefits page lists reasonable travel to doctors, hospitals, therapy, or a pharmacy, along with mileage, parking, and bridge tolls. The mileage form also refers to public transportation and other travel-related costs.

For each trip, keep:

• The appointment or travel date.
• Your starting address and the provider, pharmacy, hospital, or therapy address.
• The round-trip miles.
• Parking, toll, or public-transit receipts.
• The provider name and a copy of an appointment reminder, visit summary, prescription record, or other record that helps identify the trip.

These records do not decide every coverage question. A trip can raise a separate issue about whether the treatment was part of the workers' compensation claim. Keep any referral, treatment authorization, or claim notice with the travel log if you have it. For help understanding treatment approvals and disputes, see the California workers' compensation medical-care guide.

Use the official form that matches the trip period

The DWC publishes mileage forms by date range. Use the form for travel on or after July 1, 2026 for trips at the $0.76 rate. For trips from the first half of 2026, use the form for travel on or after January 1, 2026, which displays the $0.725 rate. The DWC medical mileage forms page lists forms for earlier periods and directs workers to the Information and Assistance Unit if a needed year is not listed.

Complete the fields on the applicable official form. Attach receipts for parking, tolls, public transportation, and other travel-related costs that you are claiming. The current forms instruct a worker to send the original to the insurance company, keep a copy, and not send the original or a copy to the local WCAB or an Information and Assistance officer.

Keep a copy of the completed form and attachments, plus a note of when and how it was sent. The form says to contact an Information and Assistance officer if travel costs are not paid within 60 days. That instruction is a practical route for process help. It does not decide whether a particular trip is covered or resolve another claim dispute.

A simple submission sequence

1. Put each trip in date order and separate trips that use different mileage rates.
2. Enter the origin, destination, round-trip miles, and any parking or toll amount on the form for that period.
3. Attach receipts and supporting travel or appointment records.
4. Send the original completed form to the insurance company and retain a complete copy.
5. If payment has not arrived after 60 days, contact the DWC Information and Assistance Unit for process assistance and keep the submission record.

The form is designed to help organize a request. It does not replace the underlying claim documents. If a carrier disputes treatment, the provider, or a medical bill, retain the notice and read the relevant claim-denial guide or medical-care guide before choosing a response.

What about older or mixed-date trips?

Older trips need the rate that applied on the travel date. The DWC forms page retains forms for several earlier date ranges. If the page does not list the period you need, the DWC directs workers to contact the Information and Assistance Unit at the closest district office. Avoid using one current rate for a spreadsheet covering several years.

For example, a log covering June and July 2026 should use the first-half 2026 rate for the June entries and the post-July 1 rate for the July entries. Keep the dates, miles, and receipts with each entry. Do not estimate a total from a current rate if the underlying trip dates differ.

Get organized before asking for help

Bring the completed mileage form, travel log, receipts, appointment records, claim number, and any insurance-company response to a discussion about a reimbursement problem. A clear file helps distinguish a missing receipt from a disagreement about the underlying treatment.

Call (661) 273-1780 or use the contact form to ask whether the firm can assess a California workers' compensation matter. The workers' compensation consultation checklist can help organize the documents and questions. Whether the firm can represent a worker is decided after an individual review.