Can I Get Reimbursement for Travel Expenses in a Utah Workers’ Comp Claim?

Last revised: November 10, 2026

Under Utah workers’ compensation law, you are legally entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses incurred while receiving medical treatment for a work-related injury. Under Utah Administrative Code R612-300-8, the workers’ compensation insurance carrier must reimburse you for mileage to and from doctor appointments, physical therapy, diagnostic scans, and hospital visits regardless of how close or far the clinic is from your home.

If your medical care requires traveling outside your local community, you may also be entitled to reimbursement for meals and lodging.

Despite this clear right, insurance adjusters rarely volunteer this information, leaving many injured workers to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars in gas and travel expenses out of pocket. Here is how medical travel reimbursement works in Utah, how the rate is set, and how to submit your claim.

What Travel Expenses Are Covered in Utah?

1. Mileage Reimbursement (Covered Regardless of Distance)

A common myth is that you can only claim mileage if you travel out of town or to another city. Under Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(A), this is incorrect:

“An injured worker is entitled to other travel expenses regardless of distance.”

Whether your physical therapy clinic is two miles away or twenty miles away, every mile driven to and from authorized medical appointments is reimbursable. This includes travel to:

• Primary treating physician visits and specialist consultations.
• Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and chiropractic appointments.
• Diagnostic imaging centers (MRI, CT scans, X-rays).
• Outpatient surgery centers and hospital follow-ups.

2. Meals and Lodging (When Traveling Outside Your Community)

If the specialized medical care you require is not reasonably available in your local area—such as a worker from St. George, Vernal, or Moab traveling to Salt Lake City for complex spinal surgery or specialized orthopedic care—Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(A) entitles you to reimbursement for:

• Meals: Standard per diem allowances matching state employee travel rates.
• Lodging: Reasonable hotel or motel accommodations when overnight stays are required.

Under the rule, all travel must be by the most direct route to the nearest location where adequate treatment is reasonably available. Furthermore, travel may not be required between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless approved by the Utah Labor Commission.

3. Prescription Pickups: The Narrow Exceptions

As a general rule, travel to pick up routine medications at your neighborhood pharmacy is not reimbursable. However, Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(C) allows travel reimbursement for prescriptions in two specific situations:

1. No Local Pharmacy: When documentation proves that the necessary medication cannot be obtained locally within your community.
2. Mandatory In-Person Pickup: When dispensing laws prohibit a medication from being called in to a pharmacy, requiring you to physically obtain an original prescription from the provider’s office.

How the Utah Workers’ Comp Mileage Rate Is Set

R612-300-8 does not set a fixed cents-per-mile figure. Instead, it requires insurance carriers to reimburse injured workers according to the State of Utah’s own travel reimbursement standards—the same policy that governs state employees (Utah Division of Finance Policy 10-9, adopted under Utah Admin. Code R25-7).

Under that policy, the state mileage rate is calculated from federal GSA mileage rates, so it changes whenever the federal rates change—most recently on July 1, 2026. Your travel is reimbursed at the rate in effect on the date the travel actually occurred.

Practical tip: When you submit your mileage log, ask the adjuster in writing which per-mile rate they are applying to your travel dates, and keep their answer with your records. If the rate looks low or changes without explanation, have it reviewed.

Time Limits and When the Insurer Must Pay You

Utah’s rules establish strict deadlines for both the injured worker and the insurance carrier:

• The One-Year Submission Deadline: Under Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(B)(1), you must submit your travel reimbursement request to the insurance carrier within one year after the travel expense was incurred. If you wait longer than one year, the insurance company is permitted to deny payment.
• When the Insurer Must Pay: Adjusters cannot hold your travel requests indefinitely. Under Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(B)(2), the insurance carrier must pay your travel expenses at the earliest of: every three months; whenever your accrued travel expenses reach $100; or upon final closure of your workers’ compensation claim.

How to Create and Submit a Utah Medical Mileage Log

To avoid payment delays, submit a clean, itemized travel log directly to the claims adjuster handling your file. Do not submit vague notes like “physical therapy in March.”

Your mileage log should include:

1. Date of Travel
2. Medical Provider Name (e.g., Dr. Jane Smith, Mountain Orthopedics)
3. Purpose of Visit (e.g., post-op evaluation, physical therapy, cervical MRI)
4. Starting Address and Destination Address
5. Total Round-Trip Miles

Date	Medical Provider & Facility	Purpose of Visit	Route (Origin to Destination)	Round-Trip Miles
10/12/2026	Wasatch Physical Therapy	Physical Therapy Session	Home (Sandy) to Clinic (Murray) & Return	14.2 miles
10/15/2026	Dr. Anderson, Orthopedics	Post-Surgical Follow-up	Home (Sandy) to Office (Salt Lake City) & Return	28.6 miles
10/19/2026	University Hospital Imaging	Cervical Spine MRI	Home (Sandy) to Hospital (Salt Lake City) & Return	34.0 miles

Keep a copy of every log you submit, along with proof of transmission (such as an email confirmation or fax transmission report).

Travel for Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs)

Under Utah Admin. Code R612-300-2(H), the insurance carrier may arrange for you to be examined by a doctor of its choosing—an Independent Medical Examination (IME)—but only “at any reasonable time and place.”

Insurance companies frequently select IME doctors in major metropolitan areas like Salt Lake City. If you live in central or southern Utah and the carrier schedules an exam hours away, ask the adjuster in writing—before the exam—to confirm that they will pay or advance your mileage, and your meals and lodging if an overnight stay is needed. If the carrier refuses, or the location is unreasonable given your injury, speak with an attorney before the exam date. You should never be forced to take on significant out-of-pocket costs to attend an examination the insurance company scheduled.

If the insurance carrier is demanding that you travel long distances for an IME without covering travel costs, our legal team can intervene to protect your rights.

What to Do If the Insurance Adjuster Ignores Your Travel Log

Insurance adjusters frequently place medical travel logs at the bottom of their priority stack. If you have submitted itemized logs totaling $100 or more, or more than three months have passed without payment, take the following steps:

1. Send a Written Demand: Email the adjuster citing Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(B), reminding them that payment is past due under the Labor Commission’s rules.
2. Contact the Utah Labor Commission: If the adjuster remains unresponsive, you can contact the Utah Labor Commission Industrial Accidents Division for assistance.
3. Include Travel in Formal Adjudication: If your claim involves other disputes (such as unpaid medical bills, an erroneous Average Weekly Wage calculation, or a claim denial), your attorney can include all unpaid medical travel in an Application for Hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).

When to Speak with a Utah Workers’ Compensation Attorney

If your only dispute with the insurance company is a minor delay on a $50 mileage check, you do not need an attorney to resolve it. A polite written follow-up to the adjuster will usually prompt payment.

However, unpaid travel expenses are frequently accompanied by more serious claim problems. You should consult an experienced Utah workers’ compensation attorney if:

• The insurance carrier issued a Form 089 Notice of Denial, cutting off all medical care and benefits.
• The adjuster refuses to authorize out-of-town specialized surgery or travel accommodations recommended by your doctor.
• The insurer sends you to an out-of-town IME but refuses to pay or advance travel costs.
• The insurance company miscalculated your weekly wage checks or stopped your Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits.

At Just Work Comp Law, our practice is dedicated exclusively to representing injured workers across Utah. We ensure that every benefit—including medical care, wage loss, permanent impairment, and travel expenses—is fully accounted for. Contact us today for a free, confidential case review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Utah workers’ compensation pay for mileage if my doctor is in the same town?

Yes. Under Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(A), you are entitled to travel expenses “regardless of distance.” While meals and lodging require traveling outside your community, mileage is reimbursable for all authorized medical trips, including local physical therapy and clinic visits.

What is the current workers’ comp mileage rate in Utah?

Utah’s workers’ comp rule doesn’t set its own cents-per-mile figure. R612-300-8 ties reimbursement to the State of Utah’s employee travel policy, which calculates its mileage rate from federal GSA rates and updates it when those rates change (most recently on July 1, 2026). Ask your adjuster in writing which rate they are applying to your travel dates.

Can I get reimbursed for driving to the pharmacy in Utah?

Generally, no. Under Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(C), routine pharmacy trips are excluded unless documentation proves the medication cannot be obtained locally in your community, or dispensing laws prohibit calling in the prescription, requiring an in-person trip to the provider’s office to obtain the original prescription.

How often does the insurance company have to pay my travel reimbursement?

Under Utah Admin. Code R612-300-8(B)(2), the insurance carrier must pay your travel expenses at the earliest of: every three months, whenever your expenses reach $100, or upon final closure of your claim. You must submit your travel request within one year of incurring the expense.

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• Reporting Your Workplace Injury to Your Employer in Utah
• What Does Workers’ Compensation Cover in Utah?
• Utah Workers’ Compensation Guide to Benefits
• Utah Workers’ Comp Denied? 6 Reasons & How to Appeal
• A Crash Course In Utah’s Lost Wage Compensation Laws

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