Why travel is covered
MCL 500.3107(1)(a) requires PIP to pay “reasonable charges incurred for reasonably necessary products, services and accommodations” for your care, recovery or rehabilitation. Getting to the care is part of receiving it, so travel to accident-related treatment is an allowable expense. Unlike wage loss and household help, allowable expenses have no three-year limit.
Trips that count
- Appointments with doctors, surgeons and specialists treating your crash injuries
- Physical, occupational and speech therapy, chiropractic care and counseling
- MRIs, X-rays, lab work and other testing
- Pharmacy trips for accident-related prescriptions and medical supplies
- Insurer medical exams the insurer schedules (ask the insurer to arrange or pay for transport in advance)
Parking fees, tolls and public transit fares for those trips are also reasonable charges. If your injuries mean you cannot drive, the reasonable cost of a cab, rideshare or medical transport company can be claimed. Keep every receipt.
The rate per mile
No statute fixes a mileage rate. The standard is a reasonable charge. Insurers set their own figures, and many tie them to IRS mileage rates. If the insurer pays a rate that does not reflect the actual cost of operating a car, the shortfall is a disputed benefit like any other unpaid bill.
Medical mileage reduces your PIP medical limit. If you chose $250,000 or $500,000 in coverage, mileage, care and treatment all draw from the same pool. See choosing a PIP coverage level.
How to log it so it gets paid
A mileage log is reasonable proof of the expense. For each trip record:
- The date and the provider’s name and address
- The reason for the visit
- Round-trip miles (a map printout or app screenshot helps)
- Who drove, and any parking, toll or fare paid
Submit the log monthly with copies of appointment confirmations or visit summaries. Under MCL 500.3142, benefits are overdue if not paid within 30 days after the insurer receives reasonable proof of the loss and its amount, and overdue benefits carry 12% interest. The forms page describes the transportation log most insurers use.
Why mileage claims get cut
- The provider is “not related.” The insurer stops paying for a type of treatment after an insurer medical exam, then refuses travel to it too.
- The route is “too long.” Adjusters sometimes argue a closer provider was available. A treating relationship, a referral, or a specialty not offered nearby answers that.
- Old logs. The one-year-back rule in MCL 500.3145 generally bars recovery of losses incurred more than one year before a lawsuit is filed. A stack of logs from two years ago may be partly lost.
Do not let logs pile up. Each trip is its own expense with its own one-year-back clock. Submit monthly, and if the insurer stops paying, talk to a lawyer before a year passes from the oldest unpaid trip. The deadline calculator can help.
Sources: MCL 500.3107(1)(a); MCL 500.3142; MCL 500.3145; MCL 500.3107c.
Questions people ask us
What rate per mile does Michigan no-fault pay?
The no-fault act does not set a mileage rate. The insurer must pay a reasonable charge, and many adjusters use a rate based on the IRS mileage figures. If the rate offered does not cover the real cost of driving, you can dispute it.
Can my spouse be paid for driving me to therapy?
Mileage for trips to accident-related care is claimed on your PIP claim whoever drives. If the driver also stays to help you because of your injuries, that time may support an attendant care claim as well.
Do I get mileage if I chose a lower PIP limit?
Yes, but mileage is an allowable expense, so it counts against the same medical limit as your doctor and hospital bills. With a $250,000 or $500,000 limit, every dollar of mileage reduces what is left for treatment.
