Form OWCP-957A is the Department of Labor’s mileage reimbursement form for claimants who drive their own vehicle to medical appointments tied to an accepted federal work injury or illness. You fill in your case number, log each round trip, multiply the miles by the current federal rate of 72.5 cents, and submit the form either through the WCMBP Claimant Portal or by mail to OWCP’s central processing address in London, Kentucky. It covers mileage only. Parking, tolls, transit fares, lodging, and meals go on a separate form.
Who Files This Form
Form OWCP-957A is for two groups: federal employees with accepted claims under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA), and energy workers and survivors filing under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA).1U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Medical Travel Refund Request – Mileage Black Lung claimants don’t use this form; they file Form OWCP-957 Part B for their travel.2U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Medical Travel Refund Request – Expenses
When Your Drive Qualifies
Federal law entitles injured employees to reimbursement of reasonable and necessary transportation costs to obtain authorized medical services, appliances, or supplies.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8103 – Medical Services and Initial Medical and Other Benefits The trip has to connect to treatment, an examination, or supplies for your accepted work injury. OWCP looks at what care is available near you, your medical condition, and your mode of travel to decide what counts as reasonable. A round trip of up to 100 miles is generally treated as reasonable without special approval, and the regulation expects you to take the shortest route.4eCFR. 20 CFR 10.315 – Will OWCP Pay for Transportation to Obtain Medical Treatment
Trips Over 100 Miles
If your round trip will exceed 100 miles, or you need air travel or overnight lodging, get written approval before you go. Submit a written request to your claims examiner explaining why the distant treatment is necessary. Approval is common when you’ve been referred to a specialist or live in an area with limited providers.4eCFR. 20 CFR 10.315 – Will OWCP Pay for Transportation to Obtain Medical Treatment EEOICPA claimants request pre-authorization from the Medical Benefits Adjudication Unit rather than a district office.1U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Medical Travel Refund Request – Mileage
If you picked a provider farther away when comparable care was available closer, OWCP can cap your reimbursement at the mileage to the nearer facility. It isn’t an automatic denial, but you should be ready to explain the choice.4eCFR. 20 CFR 10.315 – Will OWCP Pay for Transportation to Obtain Medical Treatment
Filling Out the Form
Download the current PDF from the Department of Labor.1U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Medical Travel Refund Request – Mileage You can complete it on-screen or print it and fill it in by hand. Before you start, have your nine-digit OWCP case number ready. It’s tied to the specific injury claim and appears on correspondence from OWCP.5U.S. Department of Labor. Federal Employees’ Compensation Act – Frequently Asked Questions
The header asks for your case number, full legal name, Social Security number, and mailing address. The body is a travel log. Each row is one trip and needs the date of travel, the starting street address (usually your home), the destination street address of the provider or pharmacy (not a corporate billing address), the provider or facility name, and the total round-trip mileage.
Use a separate block for each medical facility, pharmacy, or therapist visited, even when you hit more than one stop on the same day.1U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Medical Travel Refund Request – Mileage Drive from home to the doctor, then to the pharmacy, then home? That’s two blocks, one leg each.
Doing the Math
Multiply your round-trip miles for each visit by the current GSA rate. For 2026, that’s 72.5 cents per mile, effective January 1.6General Services Administration. Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) Mileage Reimbursement Rates A 30-mile round trip comes to $21.75. Add every line and enter the total. Bad math and missing provider addresses are common reasons forms bounce back, and each correction cycle delays payment.
Filing Deadline
Your request is due by the end of the calendar year following the year of the travel, or following the year OWCP accepted your condition, whichever is later. Trips taken in 2026 must be submitted by December 31, 2027.7U.S. Department of Labor. Submitting Medical Bills and Reimbursement Requests Grouping a few trips into a single submission is fine. Letting a full year pile up puts you at risk of missing the window.
Where to Send It
One thing to get right: do not upload Form OWCP-957A through ECOMP. The ECOMP site warns that uploading travel reimbursement forms there will delay your claim.8U.S. Department of Labor. ECOMP
Online
Since March 14, 2026, DFEC and DEEOIC claimants can submit Form OWCP-957A online through the Claimant Portal on the Workers’ Compensation Medical Bill Processing (WCMBP) site.9Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Medical Bill Processing Portal The portal links the form to your digital case file and gives you a submission record. A step-by-step walkthrough sits on the Claimant’s Corner page.10Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Claimant’s Corner
By Mail
Paper forms go to OWCP central processing:8U.S. Department of Labor. ECOMP
OWCP-DFEC
P.O. Box 8300
London, KY 40742-8300
Mail runs slower than the portal because paper has to be scanned and routed to your case file. Keep a copy of everything you send.
Direct Deposit
OWCP pays electronically, and not having direct deposit on file can hold up your reimbursement.2U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Medical Travel Refund Request – Expenses If you haven’t enrolled, complete Standard Form SF-1199A and send it to your program office.11U.S. Department of Labor. OWCP Transition to Electronic Payments Doing this before your first mileage request spares you a wait for a paper check.
What Happens After You Submit
A claims examiner reviews your log, checks the appointments against the treatment records in your case file, and confirms the distances are reasonable. You can track status by logging into the Claimant Portal and looking at your bill entries.10Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Claimant’s Corner Approved requests go to Treasury for disbursement. OWCP doesn’t publish a guaranteed turnaround, so plan on several weeks before the money lands.
If your request is denied, you can appeal through the process in 20 CFR Subpart G.4eCFR. 20 CFR 10.315 – Will OWCP Pay for Transportation to Obtain Medical Treatment The usual reasons for denial: mileage to an unauthorized provider, going past 100 miles without prior approval, or filing after the deadline.
When You Need Form OWCP-957 Part B Instead
Form OWCP-957A only covers mileage. Parking, tolls, transit fares, taxi rides, lodging, and meals belong on Form OWCP-957 Part B, with receipts attached for each item.2U.S. Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Medical Travel Refund Request – Expenses Lodging and meals need pre-approval from your FECA district office before the trip; asking after the fact usually doesn’t work. When a trip involves both mileage and extra costs, you can send Part A and Part B together.