DWC Raises the Medical Mileage Rate to 76¢ — Effective July 1, 2026

The Division of Workers’ Compensation announced today that the mileage reimbursement rate for medical and medical-legal travel rises to 76 cents per mile, effective for travel on or after July 1, 2026 — an increase of 3.5 cents from the prior 72.5-cent rate. Per the announcement, the new rate applies regardless of the date of injury.

Why the rate moved

Labor Code §4600 ties comp’s travel reimbursement to the IRS standard mileage rate (via Government Code §19820 and CalHR regulations). The IRS raised its rate in Announcement 2026-11 (Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-29, July 13), and the comp rate follows automatically.

What it means in practice

Every mile an injured worker drives to treatment, physical therapy, the pharmacy, or a QME exam is reimbursable at the new rate — both directions. Practical notes: keep a simple log (date, destination, purpose, round-trip miles), submit it to the claims administrator on the DWC’s mileage form, and note that reimbursement is a §4600 medical benefit — late payment is subject to the same penalty framework as other benefits. Claims administrators should update their systems for July 1+ travel; workers with pending mileage claims spanning the change should split them at the effective date.

The benefit-rate landscape this sits inside: PD & TD rate caps by year · what comp pays.

Plain-language summary for informational use; not legal advice. Figures are quoted from the cited sources. See something wrong? Report an error · editorial standards.