Wheelchair Transportation to the Detroit VA Medical Center: A Guide for Veterans and Families

For many veterans in Metro Detroit, the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Midtown is where most of their care happens: primary care, specialty clinics, imaging, physical therapy and follow-ups. If the veteran uses a wheelchair, every one of those visits starts with the same question: how do we get there?

This guide explains wheelchair transportation to the Detroit VA in plain terms. It covers the VA's own ride options, the veteran shuttles run by Oakland and Macomb Counties, and when a private wheelchair van is the better fit. CuraTransit is a non-emergency medical transportation company based in Southfield. We drive veterans and their families to the Detroit VA and other hospitals across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. To be clear from the start: we are not part of the VA and we don't bill the VA. We'll tell you where the VA's options are the right call, too.

The short answer

Start with the VA. Call the Detroit VA's Transportation Navigation Hub at 877-838-5438 (877-VET-LIFT) at least three business days before the appointment and ask whether you qualify for a ride or special mode transport. Then check your county's veteran shuttle. If neither fits your schedule, notice or level of help, book a wheelchair-accessible van for door-to-door service.

What are your options for wheelchair transportation to the Detroit VA?

Veterans who can't drive usually choose between four options. Each has its place:

Many families end up using more than one. A veteran might take the county shuttle for routine morning visits and a private van for a late-afternoon procedure or a discharge.

How VA special mode transportation works

VA special mode transportation is the VA's term for vehicles built for disabled veterans. According to the Detroit VA's transportation page, special mode "includes ambulance, ambulette, air ambulance, wheelchair van and other modes that are specially designed to transport certain disabled Veterans." It does not include public transit or a private car.

Two conditions matter:

1. You must meet beneficiary travel eligibility. This is the VA's own set of administrative rules, and the VA decides who qualifies.
2. A VA clinician must document the need. The Detroit VA says "a VA clinician must determine and document that a special mode of transportation is medically required."

If you think you qualify, ask your VA primary care team to review it, then contact the Detroit VA Veterans Transportation Service at 313-576-4346. If you're approved, the VA arranges the ride. You don't book it through a private company yourself.

DAV vans and the VA Transportation Navigation Hub

The Detroit VA routes ride requests through its Transportation Navigation Hub at 877-838-5438, open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The VA asks that requests be made at least three business days before your appointment.

A DAV van to the Detroit VA is a valuable free option, driven by volunteers. Volunteer van programs are often built around riders who can step into the vehicle on their own, so if the veteran stays in a wheelchair, say so when you call and ask whether your trip can carry it. Don't assume it can.

County veteran shuttles in Oakland and Macomb

Both suburban counties run veteran transportation to the Detroit VA. The rules are specific, so read them closely.

Macomb County. Through a partnership with Macomb Community Action, Macomb County Veterans Services drives veterans to the Detroit VA for morning appointments only, with pickup at home. Veterans who use wheelchairs can ride but "must be able to get to the curb," and drivers can't come into the home to help. Book at least 48 hours ahead, or five days ahead if you use a wheelchair. Call 586-469-5315.

Oakland County. The Detroit VA's page lists barrier-free trips to the Detroit VA from county pickup points in Pontiac, Troy, Southfield and Walled Lake on set weekdays, with riders at the pickup point before 8:30 a.m. Home wheelchair pickups are available but must be arranged in advance. Contact Oakland County Veterans Services to book.

These shuttles work well for routine morning visits. They're harder to use for afternoon appointments, last-minute changes, or a veteran who needs help getting from the door to the curb.

When a private wheelchair van for veterans makes sense

A private wheelchair van for veterans fills the gaps the free options leave. Families usually call us when:

• The appointment is in less than three business days, or it was moved at the last minute.
• The visit is in the afternoon, or on a day the county shuttle doesn't run.
• The veteran needs help from inside the home. Our drivers help from the door, down the ramp or steps, and into the van, then all the way to the clinic entrance.
• The veteran isn't eligible for special mode, or is waiting for the VA to decide.
• It's a discharge. When a veteran is released from Dingell to home or to a rehab or assisted-living facility, the timing rarely matches a shuttle. See our hospital discharge transportation service.
• There's a series of visits, such as weekly therapy, and the family wants the same pickup time every week.

In a wheelchair-accessible van, the veteran stays in their own manual or power wheelchair. The driver secures the chair, rides directly to the VA with no other stops, and brings them home the same way. If the veteran walks with a cane or walker, ambulatory transportation gives the same door-to-door help without the ramp.

CuraTransit does not provide stretcher transport. A veteran who must lie flat during travel needs an ambulance, which the VA or the care team arranges.

Not sure which option fits? Call 248-320-9092 and we'll talk it through, even if the answer is to use the VA's ride.

Getting to the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center

The medical center is at 4646 John R Street, Detroit, MI 48201, in Detroit's Midtown medical district. A few tips on John D. Dingell VA Medical Center transportation that make the day easier:

• Give the clinic name when you book. The campus is large. Knowing whether you're going to primary care, imaging or a specialty clinic helps the driver pick the closest accessible entrance.
• Plan for check-in time. Use the arrival time on your appointment letter, not the appointment time.
• Mention the return. Visits with labs or imaging can run long. With CuraTransit, the return pickup is set from your estimate, and you can call when you're nearly done so we can adjust it.
• Bring your own chair if you can. The VA says wheelchairs are available on arrival for patients who need one to get into the building. Most veterans are more comfortable in their own chair, and in our van they ride in it.
• Bring a companion if you like. A spouse or adult child can usually ride along. Tell us when you book.

We pick up anywhere in Detroit and the rest of Wayne County, plus Oakland and Macomb communities like Southfield, Warren and Sterling Heights. Trips that start outside the three counties are quoted case by case, depending on distance.

How rides to VA appointments for veterans in wheelchairs can be paid for

Families often ask whether the VA will pay for a ride they book with us. CuraTransit doesn't bill the VA and has no VA contract, and we can't tell you whether the VA would reimburse a ride you arrange yourself. If that matters, ask the VA's beneficiary travel office before you book. Here are the four ways a ride with us can be paid:

• Private pay. The most common path for rides to VA appointments for veterans in wheelchairs. You get a quote before you book, and recurring trips are easy to budget. See private pay medical transportation for how it works.
• Facility contracts. Assisted-living communities, adult foster care homes and rehab facilities that care for veterans can set up rides through a facility account, so staff don't have to arrange every trip.
• Michigan no-fault (PIP). If a veteran was hurt in a car accident, rides to accident-related treatment may be covered once benefits are verified. See Michigan no-fault medical transportation.
• MACP. The Michigan Assigned Claims Plan covers eligible accident-related care after the claim is assigned and benefits are verified.

You can compare all four on our insurance and payment page.

For senior communities, case managers and veteran families

If you manage care for several veterans, such as residents of an assisted-living community or clients on an auto-accident caseload, a single transportation partner saves a lot of phone calls:

• Standing rides for recurring VA clinic visits.
• Flexible return pickups when appointments run long.
• Wheelchair and ambulatory vans for residents who can't use volunteer or curb-to-curb programs.
• One point of contact and consolidated billing for the rides you cover.

Learn more on our partners page or contact us to talk about your residents' schedules.

Frequently asked questions

Does the VA provide wheelchair van transportation in Detroit?

Yes, for eligible veterans. The Detroit VA Veterans Transportation Service provides special mode transport, including wheelchair vans, when a VA clinician documents that it's medically required and the veteran meets beneficiary travel eligibility. Call 313-576-4346 or the hub at 877-838-5438.

How far ahead do I need to book a VA ride?

The Detroit VA asks for ride requests at least three business days before the appointment. Macomb County's shuttle needs 48 hours, or five days for wheelchair users. A private wheelchair van can often be booked with shorter notice.

Can a DAV van carry a wheelchair?

It depends on the vehicle and the trip. Tell the VA Transportation Navigation Hub that the veteran stays in a wheelchair and ask whether your ride can carry it before relying on it.

Is CuraTransit part of the VA?

No. CuraTransit is an independent transportation company. We don't bill the VA and aren't a VA contractor. We drive veterans to the Detroit VA on private pay, through facility contracts, or under Michigan no-fault or MACP for accident-related care.

Can you take a veteran home after a discharge from the Detroit VA?

Yes. We provide wheelchair and ambulatory rides home or to a rehab or assisted-living facility after discharge. Share the expected release time and destination when you book.

Can a family member ride along to the VA?

Usually, yes. Tell us when you book so we plan the seating.

Do you drive to VA appointments from Oakland and Macomb Counties?

Yes. We pick up anywhere in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties and drive directly to the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit.

Get your veteran to the VA on time, in their own chair

The VA and the counties offer real help, and it's worth using when it fits. When it doesn't, CuraTransit provides door-to-door wheelchair transportation to the Detroit VA from anywhere in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties, with a driver who helps from the front door to the clinic entrance. We work with private pay, facility contracts, Michigan no-fault claims and MACP for eligible accident-related care.

Call 248-320-9092, book a ride online, or contact us to set up a one-time or recurring ride.

---

Sources: VA Detroit Health Care — DAV vans and Veterans Transportation Service; VA Detroit Health Care — John D. Dingell VA Medical Center; Macomb County Veterans Services — Veteran transportation.