Travel and lodging

Lodging and travel benefits you actually qualify for

Not hotel coupons. Real lodging you are authorized to book, park fees you never have to pay again, and travel money VA already owes you. With the step that makes each one work.

VA travel pay on VA.gov
Veterans Crisis Line — dial 988, then press 1. Text 838255. Chat at veteranscrisisline.net. TTY 711 then 988, or 1-800-799-4889. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You do not have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. Vet Centers are open 24/7 too — 1-877-927-8387 (1-877-WAR-VETS), vetcenter.va.gov.
Why I built this page. I spent two years in the transition office at Fort Riley watching Soldiers get handed hotel flyers. A hotel discount is a company's choice. It is not a benefit you earned, and nobody has to honor it. What is on this page is different — it is federal law, state law, and DoD policy. I bring the truth, simple and to the point. Current as of September 2026. Rules change. Confirm with the property or the agency in writing before you buy travel.
Start here

Who is covered — and the lie to watch for

Federal law (10 U.S.C. 1065) opened military lodging and MWR to a group much wider than most people think.

  • Veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating — any rating, 0 percent through 100 percent
  • Purple Heart recipients
  • Medal of Honor recipients
  • Former prisoners of war
  • Primary Family Caregivers approved under VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers
Your Family travels with you. DoD Instruction 1015.11, Table 1 authorizes Family members alongside every one of those categories. You are not required to travel alone.
If a sheet says "100 percent service-connected," it is out of date. That is the pre-2020 patron list. Some DoD and service fact sheets still print it. The controlling rule is 10 U.S.C. 1065 and DoDI 1015.11, Table 1 — 0 to 100 percent. A 10 percent rating counts. A 0 percent rating counts.
✅ Any rating. Not just 100 percent.
Rule changed

The ID rule as of 1 November 2024

If you were told you need an annotated card AND a second ID, that instruction is superseded.

You now present ONE credential. Either a VA-issued Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC), or a REAL ID Act-compliant state driver's license or non-driver's ID card. Your eligibility is checked electronically at the visitor center or the gate. In VA's and DoD's own words, veteran and caregiver eligibility "will now be electronically verified during the installation access process," and the old requirement to present physical documentation "was eliminated as of November 1, 2024." (news.va.gov/136468/dod-installation-access)
  • You also get an on-the-spot criminal-record and terrorism check. That is normal.
  • If your VHIC or your REAL ID expires, re-enroll with the new card.
  • To get a VHIC you must be enrolled in VA health care. Apply at va.gov or call 1-877-222-8387.
Carry both anyway. The Armed Forces Recreation Center resorts still print the older "annotated VHIC paired with a REAL ID or U.S. passport" wording on their own check-in pages. Carrying both costs you nothing. But do not let anyone tell you an unannotated VHIC — or a REAL ID with no VHIC at all — keeps you off the installation. Since 1 November 2024 it does not.
✅ One credential gets you to the gate.
Resorts

The three big military resorts

Armed Forces Recreation Center resorts. Real hotels, military-run, priced by rank and income.

The ID they accept is not the same at all three. Shades of Green and Dragon Hill both publish this: a veteran presents "either a Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC) indicating at least one of the three acceptable eligibility statuses (PURPLE HEART, FORMER POW, or SERVICE CONNECTED); or a current letter from the Veterans Administration stating the Veteran has a Service-connected disability." Hale Koa's published requirement is the VHIC only. Do not fly to Honolulu on a rating decision letter.
Shades of Green opens to every honorably discharged veteran in January and September. Their "Salute to Our Veterans" window takes a copy of a current DD-214 — no disability rating required — up to three rooms. Promotional terms are set each year. Confirm the current year's terms with the resort before you book.
✅ January and September, the door is wide open.
On post

Service lodging — Navy, Air Force, Army, Marine Corps

Rooms on installations, plus cabins, cottages and RV campgrounds.

  • Navy Lodge — open to the expanded veteran group. 800-628-9466, navy-lodge.com
  • Air Force Inns — authorized. Air Force policy (DAFMAN 34-135) states that installation commanders "will not authorize AF Inns access to any persons other than those listed in DoDI 1015.11, Table 1" — and Table 1 lists exactly these veteran categories. The Air Force's own patron page adds: always check with the local MWR office.
  • Army Lodging — DoDI 1015.11, Table 1 is DoD-wide policy and it authorizes you. Army MWR's own eligibility page has not been updated since 2 November 2020 and simply does not address the change either way. Silence on a stale page is not a denial. Call the installation lodging office. armymwr.com
  • Marine Corps lodging (Inns of the Corps) — open, and I want to be plain about this because it is commonly reported wrong. MCCS Camp Pendleton states its veteran access covers "all service-connected disabled veterans, Medal of Honor & Purple Heart recipients, former prisoners of war, VA benefits eligible veterans & primary veteran caregivers," and names Pacific Views Lodge and Ward Lodge, campgrounds and beach cottages. Camp Lejeune and New River list Inns of the Corps Lodging and Onslow Beach Lodging as authorized for veterans newly eligible since 1 January 2020. A 40 percent service-connected veteran is authorized. Reservations 1-888-409-7829, innsofthecorps.com
  • MWR cabins, cottages and RV campgrounds — open. Call the individual campground or cabin office; some service sheets are years out of date. The Navy Getaways patron sheet still prints the old "100 percent" limit. Do not rely on it.
Excluded everywhere: activities paid for out of appropriated funds, and child development programs. That means indoor pools, fitness centers and recreation centers are generally not part of this.
Space-available, explained honestly. Leisure stays sit behind official-duty and PCS travelers. But once you hold a confirmed reservation you will not normally be displaced — Air Force policy protects confirmed reservations and prohibits removing you after check-in except in contingency, emergency, or where the installation commander determines higher priorities exist. Book up to 120 days out; 30 days for Temporary Lodging Facilities.
✅ Book early. Get it confirmed.
Verify first

Two overseas properties that will turn you away

This is the most expensive mistake on any military lodging list. Airfare is not refundable because you were misinformed.

Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, Garmisch, Germany — restricted. Edelweiss states on its own eligibility page that the expanded authorization "currently does not include the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort." You may stay only if you are honorably discharged with a 100 percent service-connected disability, or you qualify another way — military retiree, active, Reserve or Guard, DoD civilian, or unremarried surviving spouse. Overseas access is limited by status of forces agreements and host nation law, which is why Germany differs from Hawaii and Florida. edelweisslodgeandresort.com
The New Sanno, Tokyo, Japan — no veteran category at all. Its published patron table lists active duty, Reserve and National Guard, retirees from active duty and retired reservists, their dependents, unremarried widows and widowers, Department of War civilians, contractors, U.S. Embassy personnel, and a sponsored "Non-DoW" line. It then states: "Those not listed above are not authorized access to USNJS The New Sanno." No Purple Heart, former POW, service-connected, Medal of Honor or caregiver category appears. If you are not also a military retiree, you cannot book here. (Their site says "DoW," Department of War, where older printouts say "DoD" — same thing.) thenewsanno.com
Where to go instead. Dragon Hill Lodge in Korea does carry a Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act category. Hale Koa and Shades of Green are open to you stateside. And if you hold a 100 percent rating or you are a retiree, Edelweiss is still yours — the restriction is on the newer expansion, not on you.
✅ Get it in writing before you buy a ticket.
State parks

State park military discounts

Most states discount their own park lodging for military and veterans. Kentucky publishes its terms, so I am using it as the worked example — then go check yours.

  • 15 percent off lodging, April through October — for active and retired military. Choose the Military Discount option when you book. It is not applied automatically.
  • November through March, the posted offers use code USA.
  • 10 percent off camping — choose the "Military" customer type when booking online, and show your ID at check-in.
  • Kentucky residents: up to 10 percent off lodging year-round at 17 resort parks.
  • Age 62 and older: 10 percent off lodging and camping.
  • No discount applies to tent or primitive sites. Proof is required at check-in.
Kentucky's terms: parks.ky.gov/deals. For your own state, search your state park system's own website for its deals or discounts page, or call your state department of veterans affairs. The discount is almost always a checkbox at booking that you have to find yourself.
✅ If you never tick the box, you never get it.
Free lodging

Free state park stays for 100 percent P&T resident veterans

Kentucky law, KRS 148.0212. If your state has a law like this, it works the same way — through a channel nobody tells you about.

  • Who: a Kentucky resident who is a permanently and totally disabled veteran rated 100 percent service-connected by VA or DoD — wartime service is not required. Also a permanently and totally disabled Kentucky National Guard or Reserve member injured on state active duty, active duty training, or inactive duty training.
  • What: exempt from overnight accommodation rates at Kentucky state parks.
  • How much: up to three overnight stays per calendar year, each up to three days, subject to availability.
This is where people lose the benefit. Reserve BY PHONE ONLY — the online booking system will not apply it — and no more than 10 days in advance. A veteran who tries to book online three months out gets refused and walks away believing the benefit does not exist. It does. You called the wrong way.
Peak periods: May through Labor Day, and the month of October — your stay must fall inside the Sunday-through-Thursday five-day period. Outside those periods, any time. Bring proof of the 100 percent rating from VA, DoD, or the state authority. Read the statute
✅ Phone only. Ten days out. No exceptions.
Former POW

Former prisoners of war camp free

Kentucky law, KRS 148.0211, effective 29 June 2017. Many states carry a version of this. It is never automatic.

  • Who: a Kentucky-resident veteran who was a prisoner of war and was honorably discharged.
  • What: exempt from camping fees at any park or campground owned or operated by the Commonwealth.
You must apply first. Send the Department of Parks a military separation form, or a letter from the military forces or from VA, plus written proof of Kentucky residency. Parks then issues you a certification card. You show that card to get the fee waived. Drive to a campground with only a DD-214 in hand and you will be charged.
You can hold both benefits. KRS 148.0212(5) says the 100 percent permanent-and-total lodging exemption does not limit this camping exemption. If you qualify for both, use both. Read the statute
✅ Apply. Get the card. Then go.
Federal parks

Two free federal park passes — carry both

Most veterans have heard of one. The second one is usually the better card, and almost nobody mentions it.

1. Interagency Military Lifetime Pass — free for veterans and Gold Star Family members. Covers entrance and standard day-use fees at National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites. It admits you plus everyone in one private non-commercial vehicle — or up to two motorcycles, or you plus three people aged 16 and over. Accepted proof: DoD ID, VHIC, VA Veteran ID Card, or a state license or ID with a veteran designation. Gold Star Families use a printable voucher. Free in person at a park, free in digital form at Recreation.gov, or by mail from the USGS Store for a processing fee. nps.gov — veterans and Gold Star Families
What the Military pass does NOT cover: camping, tours, special recreation permits, reservation fees, organized-group fees, and concession-run activities. That gap is real, and it is why you want the second pass.
2. Interagency Access Pass — free, and it beats the Military pass on fees. Any U.S. citizen or resident medically determined to have a permanent disability that severely limits one or more major life activities qualifies — at ANY rating. It does not have to be 100 percent. A VA award letter stating you are entitled to disability benefits is accepted proof; so is an SSA or SSDI award, or a licensed physician's statement. Free in person at a park; a processing fee applies if you order it by mail from the USGS Store. Unlike the Military pass, the Access Pass discounts Expanded Amenity Fees at many sites — commonly camping, swimming, boat launch and interpretive services. nps.gov — Access Pass
What that difference is worth, in one example. Mammoth Cave National Park has no entrance fee, but cave tours require separate paid tickets. The Military Lifetime Pass does not cover them. The Access Pass or the Senior Pass takes 50 percent off the cardholder's tour ticket. Same trip, half the tour cost, because you carried the right card. Current tour fees
✅ If you qualify for both, hold both.
VA pays

VA travel pay — mileage, parking, tolls, and more

Beneficiary Travel. The most commonly missed money on this page, because of one wrong belief about ratings.

You qualify at ANY disability rating when the travel is for treatment of a service-connected condition. A 30 percent rating is not required. Other paths that qualify you: a 30 percent or higher rating, receiving VA pension, income below the maximum VA pension rate, inability to afford the travel under VA's guidelines, or travel for a compensation-and-pension exam, a service dog, or transplant care. Family caregivers, medically required attendants, and transplant support persons may also qualify.
  • No preapproval needed: mileage, parking, tolls.
  • Must be preapproved by VA before you travel: meals, lodging, and bus, taxi, rideshare, train, plane, or special-mode transportation. Book a hotel for a VA appointment without preapproval and you are not reimbursed.
  • How to file: online in the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS) at va.gov, or by mail or in person on VA Form 10-3542.
File within 30 days of the appointment. You can still file after 30 days. VA's own words: late claims "are usually denied." Usually is not always. File anyway. A denied claim costs you a form. An unfiled claim costs you the money for certain.
Rates change. I do not print the mileage rate here — go to VA's own page for the current figure: va.gov/health-care/get-reimbursed-for-travel-pay
✅ Any rating, if it is service-connected care.
Protect yourself

Your ID, private hotels, and who to call

Two ways veterans get hurt on travel pages: handing over the wrong document, and calling the wrong office.

Stop showing your DD-214 for discounts. It carries your Social Security number and your full service history. Handing it across a front desk exposes both to a stranger. Show a DoD ID card, your VHIC, your digital VA Veteran ID Card, or a state driver's license with a veteran designation instead.
The VA Veteran ID Card is free and it exists for exactly this. VA issues it so you can get discounts "without carrying around your military discharge papers or sharing sensitive personal information." Since September 2022 every new card is digital — it lives on your phone. Nothing arrives in the mail. Apply at va.gov/records/get-veteran-id-cards
About hotel "veteran rates." No agency certifies any hotel or chain as veteran-friendly. A military rate is offered at each company's discretion, varies by property and by date, is often capacity-controlled, is frequently non-refundable, is sometimes excluded from loyalty points and night credit, and can be refused. It is not a VA or government benefit. Those rates are not always shown online, so it is worth asking the property directly — but confirm the rate and the ID it requires before you book.
Military OneSource has a cutoff. It serves service members, National Guard, Reserve, Coast Guard, their Families and survivors. Veterans are eligible only within 365 days of their last day of service. Past that, call VA at 1-800-827-1000, or a Vet Center at 1-877-927-8387. If you are still inside that year, Military OneSource is 800-342-9647 — use it while you have it.
One more cost note, since people ask: a user fee applies to card purchases at the commissary and MWR retail for those eligible solely under 10 U.S.C. 1065. No such fee attaches to a lodging stay. Your room night is not a commissary purchase.
✅ Never hand over your DD-214 for a room rate.
Before you book

The five minutes that saves the trip

Patron eligibility is set property by property and installation by installation, and it changes.

  1. Call the specific property or lodging office. Not the service's general page.
  2. Ask them to confirm your category in writing — email is fine. Save it.
  3. Book refundable until you have that confirmation in hand.
  4. Confirm what ID they want at check-in, and carry your VHIC and your REAL ID both.
  5. For the state benefits, confirm the reservation channel — phone, online, or by mail. That is the step that fails.
If eligibility is refused at the gate or the front desk and you booked non-refundable, the whole trip is gone. Nobody reimburses that. Five minutes on the phone is cheaper than a cancelled vacation.
✅ Confirm in writing. Book refundable.