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Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS)

Get reimbursed for travel expenses quicker with btsss.

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Help Center

Welcome to the Beneficiary Travel Self Service System (BTSSS) help center. This section provides details on the claim process and explains some scenarios that fall outside the normal process.

General Information

• Learn about the reimbursement Process using BTSSS
• Understand claim statuses

Special Situations

• Submitting a claim more than 30 days after an appointment
• Applying for a deductible waiver

VA Travel Pay – Reimbursement, Eligibility, How to File, and More

If you’re like the millions of other Vets in the nation, you’re probably traveling a lot for healthcare. No matter what you’re seeking help for or how long your commute is, VA travel pay can usually help you get reimbursed for the difference. Sound good? Learn more about it below!

Read next: Your Guide to Using My HealtheVet for Veteran Healthcare Needs

What Is VA Travel Pay?

VA travel reimbursement is money that the VA gives you to cover the cost of travel relating to approved healthcare visits for patients and caregivers. You can receive reimbursement for transportation, approved meals, and approved lodging expenses.

In this day and age, gas prices are skyrocketing, bus costs are expensive, plane tickets are astronomical, and every other form of transportation isn’t getting any cheaper. Luckily, this form of VA reimbursement is here to make sure you don’t go broke just for trying to stay healthy.

Do I Qualify For VA Travel Pay?

VA travel pay eligibility is for Veterans and their caregivers who are “traveling for care at a VA health facility or for VA-approved care at a non-VA health facility in your community.”

Additionally, to receive VA travel pay, at least one of the following statements must be true:

• Your VA disability is at 30% or higher.
• You’re traveling for a service-connected health issue (even if your rating is under 30%).
• You receive a VA pension.
• Your income is less than the maximum annual VA pension rate.
• You cannot afford your travel expenses.
• You’re traveling to get a service dog, for VA-approved transplant care, or for a scheduled VA claim exam.

For caregivers, at least one of the following statements must be true if they’re providing care for a Veteran or non-Veteran:

• “The person is your family caregiver under the National Caregiver Program traveling to receive caregiver training or to support your care.
• That individual is your medically required attendant traveling with you to support your care.
• The person is your transplant care donor or support person.”

VA Travel Pay Deductible

If you’re looking for payment for travel related to healthcare, keep in mind that, like your health insurance, you’ll be required to pay a deductible before being paid for any travel expenses.

Currently, the deductible for a one-way trip for an appointment is $3, whereas a round-trip appointment will cost you $6. The payment won’t go above $18 power month.

But why charge a deductible at all? According to the VA, this is a requirement, as they must withhold a certain amount of money from travel reimbursement payments. This money goes toward assisting with travel and medical care for other Veterans.

For many Veterans with low incomes, they may not have to make this payment. Reach out to your local beneficiary office to see if they may be willing to waive the deductible.

How To Get VA Travel Pay

Before you earn your travel pay, you have to set a few things up. First, you’ll need to create a VA travel pay login via Veteran Travel Claim Entry (the VA travel pay portal). You can start the process here .

Then, you’ll want to use one of the following existing login platforms or create an all-new login for one of the platforms to get started:

• VA PIV Card
• My HealtheVet

However, there are more options you can choose from, which can be seen on their category page .

Setting Up a Direct Deposit

After logging in or creating an account, you need to set up direct deposit for easy pay. You can do this by filling out VA Form 10091 , for which you’ll need your bank’s name, address, and routing number in addition to your own account number (and whether it’s checking or savings), address, and social security number.

Then, you can fax your completed form to 512-460-5221 or bring it in person to your local beneficiary travel office.

After submitting your form, log in to your travel claim profile and double-check that the information for your direct deposit is correct. If it’s not, you can click “Request Profile Updates” to make any necessary changes.

If you’re using BTSSS VA travel pay for reimbursement, check out this video from the VA to get started with direct deposit and payments:

Keep Track of Receipts

When you’re traveling for healthcare expenses, make sure you get a copy of all your receipts and keep them in a safe location. Additionally, track your car’s mileage by writing down the mileage before and after your trip and calculating the difference.

Additionally, the mileage reimbursement rate is 41.5 cents per mile.

Other eligible costs you should keep receipts for include:

• Road tolls.
• Taxi fares.
• Plane tickets.
• Bus, subway, or train tickets.
• Meals and lodging, in specific cases.

Filing a Claim With the VA Travel Pay Form

Once you’ve completed the steps above, it’s time to file your claim.

To file your VA travel pay claim, you’ll need to log in to your Veteran Travel Claim Entry account as before. From there, you’ll submit your receipts and mileage.

Keep in mind that you must submit a claim within 30 days of the expense to be eligible for reimbursement. Furthermore, if you try to file a claim outside of that window, you will not be paid for your travel expenses.

How To Check on VA Travel Pay

You might also want to know how to check on VA travel pay after you’ve filed your claim. You can visit your account for VA travel pay online to check on the status of your payment or call your local beneficiary office .

Once your VA travel pay reimbursement has been approved, it will be automatically deposited through your bank account via an electronic funds transfer (EFT), and there will be no need for further action from you.

VA Travel Pay Problems

Unfortunately, there are issues users may run into from time to time. This includes reports of Veterans not being notified of the submission deadline and policy changes during the pandemic era.

To avoid common problems, be sure to file your claim within 30 days of incurring the expenses. Otherwise, the VA is likely to deny reimbursement as the extensions during COVID-19 expired on June 9, 2023.

Additionally, there have been multiple reports of issues using the VA’s online travel reimbursement system accepting claims due to the inability to properly fill out the form. For example, a healthcare professional or facility not being listed online.

Despite the BTSSS aiming to handle 90% of the claims from Veterans effectively, government oversight reports show that these goals have not been met.

Developed by Liberty IT Solutions, which is now a subsidiary of Booz Allen Hamilton, Veterans, and staff alike continue to experience VA travel pay problems using BTSSS.

Measures to improve these issues are already underway, including the use of kiosks using a different app, VetLink, that is being tested at various VA sites throughout the country, including Charleston, South Carolina.

If you are experiencing issues, call the toll-free VA travel pay problems phone number Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET at 1 (855) 574-7292 (TTY: 711) for assistance.

While VA travel pay reimbursement options are less than perfect, they do exist. Therefore, be sure to document your expenses, be prepared for filing over the phone should you experience issues online, file within 30 days, and reach out for help as soon as possible to avoid being denied.

Suggested read: Hazardous and Toxic Materials PACT Act Expansion Starts March 5, 2024

• VA travel pay reimbursement, VA. Accessed March 2024. https://www.va.gov/health-care/get-reimbursed-for-travel-pay/
• Goals Not Met for Implementation of the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System, CIGIE. Accessed March 2024. 

*Updated by Buddy Blouin 3/1/2024

About Kassidy Barber

Kassidy Barber is the Assistant Editor for VeteranLife.com and MyBaseGuide.com. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She's been working as a writer, editor, QA specialist, and SEO professional for more than four years.

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VA’s Beneficiary Travel Program Launches New Online Portal for Reimbursement Claims

Beginning November 2, 2020, Veterans, caregivers, and beneficiaries who are eligible for reimbursement of mileage and other travel expenses to and from approved health care appointments can now enter claims in the new Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS). BTSSS simplifies the current claim submission process for beneficiaries and ensures timely processing and payment of travel reimbursements.

• Submit claims online 24/7, 365 days a year
• Track the status of submitted claims
• Reduce processing time for submitted claims
• Use self-help tools to make claim submissions fast and easy
• Visit AccessVA , select submit a travel claim, and logon using a DS Log on account.

A DS Logon is an ID issued by DoD that will allows Veterans and caregivers to access many VA and DoD sites with one user username and password. Need a DS Log on?

Veterans and caregivers may be eligible for travel pay. A list of eligibility requirements can be found on the VA Travel Pay Reimbursement webpage.

VA is phasing in a new web-based portal to submit and process beneficiary travel claims beginning July 2020 and continuing through November 2020. The new portal, the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System (BTSSS), is VA’s preferred method to receive travel reimbursement claims. Once implemented, BTSSS will phase out claims submitted through the facility kiosks. However, in-person claims and hard-copy submissions will still be available. BTSSS is available through the AccessVA website .

The BTSSS automates the claims process to ensure timely processing and payment of travel reimbursement claims. With BTSSS, turnaround time to evaluate and settle a claim is less than 5 days. BTSSS allows Veterans and caregivers to submit claims 24/7, 365 days a year from a computer or mobile device. It also allows users to electronically track the status of a claim request.

BTSSS is available through the AccessVA webpage. To submit a claim, Visit AccessVA , select submit a travel claim, and logon using a DS Log on Level 2 account. A DS Logon is an ID issued by DoD that will allows Veterans and caregivers to access many VA and DoD sites with one user username and password. Need a DS Log on?

The current claims submission processes are 100% manual. BTSSS will significantly reduce human intervention for each reimbursement claim request and improve tracking, reporting, and the auditing capability for all stages of the claims process.

There are several sources of help to file a claim. Eligible Veterans and caregivers may get help from a travel clerk at the facility or refer to the BTSSS user’s guide at https://www.va.gov/health-care/get-reimbursed-for-travel-pay .

Beneficiary Travel Help Desk for Veterans and caregivers: 1-855-574-7292.

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New Online VA Travel Reimbursement Program Is Failing Veterans, Inspector General Finds

A new system designed to ensure that the Department of Veterans Affairs reimburses veterans for appointment-related travel quickly and properly is not living up to expectations, frustrating veterans and causing headaches for travel staff.

The Veterans Health Administration rolled out its Beneficiary Travel Self Service System, a web-based travel reimbursement program, in November 2020 to replace a long-standing system accessible through stand-alone kiosks at VA medical facilities or by submitting paper claims.

Goals for the new program, known as BTSSS, were to make it easier for veterans to file travel claims and decrease the amount the VA improperly paid out for claims. Incorrect payments increased from $70 million in fiscal 2013 to $123 million in fiscal 2021.

Read Next: Biggest Troop Pay Raise in 2 Decades on Track in House Defense Bill

The Veterans Health Administration spent more than $1.3 billion on patient travel in fiscal 2021, an increase from roughly $1 billion in fiscal 2019 and $890 million in fiscal 2020.

Shortly after the system was introduced and the VA began removing travel kiosks from hospitals and clinics, veterans began notifying Military.com of their concerns with the new system, which is primarily accessed via smartphone or computer.

"The easy-to-use, fast kiosks were implemented systemwide, then, after a few short years, were jerked out with [very] few days warning to veterans," wrote a former service member who did not want to be identified. "Doesn't sound like a big deal for every veteran to cope with? It is!!"

The VA reimburses veterans and, in some cases, their caregivers for travel expenses to and from many medical appointments, including mileage, tolls and parking. It even covers airfare in certain cases.

The VA Office of Inspector General began receiving complaints that BTSSS actually slowed down processing and decreased production, prompting the office to investigate whether the new system met expectations.

The system, developed by Liberty IT Solutions, now part of Booz Allen Hamilton, was designed to solve claims automatically, without human involvement, at least 90% of the time and was to be used by veterans without them requiring assistance at least 80% of the time.

But a VA OIG review published last month found that just 17% of claims filed from February 2021 through July 2022 were automatically adjudicated, "well short of ... the goal of 90 percent." It also calculated that veterans used the web-based portal for only about 49% of total claims.

The OIG found that travel staff implemented work-arounds to deal with the new program and frequently relied on the old system to fill claims.

It also determined that the VA failed to effectively communicate with veterans and veterans service organizations before changing over to the new system and, instead, solicited feedback only from veterans who worked at the VA program office responsible for implementation, not patients or VSOs.

"Further, the program office did not provide training to veterans on how to enter claims in BTSSS until almost five months after system launch. Consequently, during system rollout, the review team found that some veterans experienced difficulties creating user accounts and lacked needed training on how to use the new system to enter travel claims," according to the report, "Goals Not Met for Implementation of the Beneficiary Travel Self-Service System. "

VA officials say they have implemented a new patient check-in process designed to simplify the steps taken before a veteran is seen for an appointment, and that is why the kiosks were removed.

A decision has been made, however, to integrate BTSSS with the new patient check-in process, "expected for completion later this summer," according to John Saulmon, chief of staff for member services at the VHA.

The VA also is developing a program that will allow it to more efficiently handle paper claims in the system. Travel claims will then be submittable online, via email, by fax or in person during patient check-in.

The VA estimates that 90% of veterans have access to a smartphone or other mobile device, and it encourages them to use the system. VA medical centers were urged to conduct outreach when the program was first introduced, and how-to videos are available online, according to Saulmon .

In the VA's response to the report, officials said they concurred with the OIGs recommendations to improve the system and would work harder to effectively communicate with patients on how to access the system through their computer or smartphone.

"We will utilize the customer feedback [of the baseline BTSSS veteran survey] to perform targeted user testing by veterans to develop and prioritize future changes to [the system]," VA officials wrote in their response.

Sen. Jon Tester, the Montana Democrat who chairs the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, has pressed the VA to address issues with the system and make it more user-friendly.

Last week, Tester called it unacceptable that veterans weren't consulted before the BTSSS was introduced, and he implored the department to make immediate changes.

"The bottom line is that VA needs to fix this system without further delay, and I look forward to seeing renewed efforts to repair the trust lost from veterans in this process," Tester said in a press release.

-- Adrian Bonenberger contributed to this report.

– Patricia Kime can be reached at [email protected] . Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

Related: VA Lost More than $3.5 Billion in Misplaced Spending in Fiscal 2022

Patricia Kime

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Watch CBS News

Hackers may have stolen your Social Security number in a massive breach. Here's what to know.

By Aimee Picchi

Edited By Anne Marie Lee

Updated on: August 19, 2024 / 9:51 AM EDT / CBS News

A new lawsuit is claiming hackers have gained access to the personal information of "billions of individuals," including their Social Security numbers, current and past addresses and the names of siblings and parents — personal data that could allow fraudsters to infiltrate financial accounts or take out loans in their names. 

The allegation arose in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by Christopher Hofmann, a California resident who claims his identity theft protection service alerted him that his personal information had been leaked to the dark web by the "nationalpublicdata.com" breach. The lawsuit was earlier reported by Bloomberg Law.

The breach allegedly occurred around April 2024, with a hacker group called USDoD exfiltrating the unencrypted personal information of billions of individuals from a company called National Public Data (NPD), a background check company, according to the lawsuit. Earlier this month, a hacker leaked a version of the stolen NPD data for free on a hacking forum, tech site Bleeping Computer reported . 

That hacker claimed the stolen files include 2.7 billion records, with each listing a person's full name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and phone number, Bleeping Computer said. While it's unclear how many people that includes, it's likely "that everyone with a Social Security number was impacted," said Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at The National Cybersecurity Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes online safety.

"It's a reminder of the importance of protecting yourself, because clearly companies and the government aren't doing it for us," Steinhauer told CBS MoneyWatch.

In a statement posted to its website, NPD said the breach involved a "third-party bad actor that was trying to hack into data in late December 2023, with potential leaks of certain data in April 2024 and summer 2024."

The company added that it is working with law enforcement and government investigators. NPD said it "will try to notify you if there are further significant developments applicable to you."

Here's what to know about the alleged hack. 

What is National Public Data? 

National Public Data is a data company based in Coral Springs, Florida, that provides background checks for employers, investigators and other businesses that want to check people's backgrounds. Its searches include criminal records, vital records, SSN traces and more information, its website says.

There are many similar companies that scrape public data to create files on consumers, which they then sell to other businesses, Steinhauer said.

"They are data brokers that collect and sell data about people, sometimes for background check purposes," he said. "It's because there's no national privacy law in the U.S. — there is no law against them collecting this data against our consent."

What happened with the USDoD hack?

According to the new lawsuit, USDoD on April 8 posted a database called "National Public Data" on the dark web, claiming to have records for about 2.9 billion individuals. It was asking for a purchase price of $3.5 million, the lawsuit claims. 

However, Bleeping Computer reported that the file was later leaked for free on a hacker forum, as noted above. 

How many people have been impacted?

The number of people impacted by the breach is unclear. Although the lawsuit claims "billions of individuals" had their data stolen, the total population of the U.S. stands at about 330 million. The lawsuit also alleges that the data includes personal information of deceased individuals.

Bleeping Computer reports that the hacked data involves 2.7 billion records, with individuals having multiple records in the database. In other words, one individual could have separate records for each address where they've lived, which means the number of impacted people may be far lower than the lawsuit claims, the site noted.

The data may reach back at least three decades, according to law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe, which said on Monday it is investigating the breach.

Did NPD alert individuals about the hack? 

It's unclear, although the lawsuit claims that NPD "has still not provided any notice or warning" to Hoffman or other people affected by the breach. 

"In fact, upon information and belief, the vast majority of Class Members were unaware that their sensitive [personal information] had been compromised, and that they were, and continue to be, at significant risk of identity theft and various other forms of personal, social, and financial harm," the lawsuit claims. 

Information security company McAfee reported that it hasn't found any filings with state attorneys general. Some states require companies that have experienced data breaches to file reports with their AG offices. 

However, NPD posted an alert about the breach on its website, stating that it believes the information breached includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers and mailing addresses.

Can you find out if your data was part of the hack?

There are tools available that will monitor what information about you is available on the dark web, noted Michael Blair, managing director of cybersecurity firm NukuDo. Commonly breached data includes your personal addresses, passwords and email, he added.

One such service is how Hofmann, who filed the lawsuit, found out that his information has been leaked as part of NPD breach.

"Make sure to use reputable companies to look that up," Blair said. 

What should I do to protect my information?

Security experts recommend that consumers put freezes on their credit files at the three big credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Freezing your credit is free, and will stop bad actors from taking out loans or opening credit cards in your name. 

"The biggest thing is to freeze your credit report, so it can't be used to open new accounts in your name and commit other fraud in your name," Steinhauer said. 

In its statement, NPD also urged people to put free fraud alerts on their accounts, which "tells creditors to contact you before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts," it said. You'll have to contact just one of the three credit bureaus to create a fraud alert, and that agency will alert the others.

Steinhauer recommends consumers take several additional steps to protect their data and finances:

• Make sure your passwords are at least 16 characters in length, and are complex. 
• Use a password manager to save those long, complex passwords.
• Enable multifactor authentication, which Steinhauer calls "critical," because simply using a single password to access your accounts isn't enough protection against hackers. 
• Be on alert for phishing and other scams. One red flag is that the scammers will try to create a sense of urgency to manipulate their victims.
• Keep your security software updated on your computer and other devices. For instance, make sure you download the latest security updates from Microsoft or Apple onto your apps and devices. 

You can also get a tracking service that will alert you if your data appears on the dark web. 

"You should assume you have been compromised and act accordingly," Steinhauer said. 

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Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.

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Pulse rides will travel deeper into the West End as Henrico moves forward with new GRTC transfer station

HENRIC COUNTY, Va. -- The Henrico County Board of Supervisors recently approved the $1.3 million purchase of a West End strip mall, between Parham Road and West Broad Street, where the county and GRTC will build a new bus transfer station and Pulse bus stop.

"That is the dream. To have a climate controlled place for people to wait, use the bathroom, just a much more comfortable transfer experience than might exist at Willow Lawn right now, which has shelters but isn’t perfect," GRTC spokesperson Henry Bendon said.

The expanded service adds four miles to the a rapid-transit bus line which currently runs from Willow Lawn in the West End, through the City of Richmond, to Rocketts Landing in East End. Currently, more than 6,100 daily riders use the Pulse.

"It’s one of the most successful buses not just in our system, but in the Commonwealth," Bendon said.

Plans for the Henrico transfer station are still in their early phases, but call for buses arriving from the west to turn left at Skipwith Road and enter the transfer area off Parham Road before heading east on West Broad Street.

Bendon said project leaders also want to include a park and ride space to help commuters who want to take the Pulse into the city.

"People who want to be in Henrcio and come to Henrico are going to have the flexibility that the Pulse provides. You go when you want to go; you go where you want to go," Bendon said. "We know that transit is this economic engine that is freedom for everybody that uses it. It is all of these things that are really conducive to good policy. In Henrico and all of our partner jurisdictions, what we’re seeing is people want more of it."

The project is expected to be completed in 2028.

GRTC and county leadership are hosting an public event on October 1st at the Libbie Mill Library to hear from the public about what they would like to see happen with the project. You can learn about the expansion here .

Every day CBS 6 is giving a voice to the stories happening in your community. If you have a story idea, email our team at [email protected] or click here to submit a tip.

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Tracking the Swing States for Harris and Trump

By Lily Boyce ,  Eli Murray and Alicia Parlapiano

The presidential race will most likely come down to voters in 10 states that remain competitive, according to the most recent ratings by the Cook Political Report .

Solidly Democratic states

Solidly republican states.

270 votes to win

Likely Dem.

Likely rep..

These states are the most competitive in the race for the presidency.

Note: Nebraska and Maine each award two electoral votes to the statewide winner and one to the top vote-getter in each congressional district. Nebraska’s Second District is rated as “Lean Democratic” by Cook Political Report.

There are many combinations of states that could put either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald J. Trump over the threshold of the 270 electoral votes needed to win.

If both candidates win all of the states in their solid, likely and lean categories, the race would come down to the six tossup states in yellow. Ms. Harris would need 44 electoral votes from the tossup states to win. Mr. Trump would need just 35.

Tossup states

Source: Cook Political Report (race ratings); New York Times polling averages

The six states rated as tossups were all won narrowly by Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2020. If the race comes down to these places, Mr. Trump has an advantage in the electoral math. He could win with just two electorally valuable tossup states — Pennsylvania and Georgia — while all of Ms. Harris’s paths to victory include at least three. If Mr. Trump loses Georgia but wins Pennsylvania, Ms. Harris would still need at least three other tossups (in addition to Georgia) to win.

Of course, some of the states currently rated as leaning or likely Democratic or Republican could also come into play.

Lean Democratic

Lean republican, likely democratic, likely republican.

An earlier version of a table in this article mislabeled the margin of victory for the 2020 presidential election in New Hampshire. Joe Biden won the state by 7.4 percentage points, not 0.4 percentage points.

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• Travel Advice

More than 50 workers to walk off job at Sydney Airport over pay disputes

More than 50 workers at an Australian airport are set to go on strike over pay disputes, with several major airlines and long-haul international flights set to be affected.

‘Screaming’: Passenger opens emergency exit

Warning for travellers amid airport strike

Big change for Aussies travelling to US

Travellers have been urged to stay alert for updates from airlines as more than 50 airport workers walk off the job over pay disputes.

Sydney Airport refuellers are set to hold 12 hours of strikes on Friday over pay dispute with transport fuels giant Ampol Aviation.

Ampol Aviation services 16 airlines including Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar, Air New Zealand, Delta and British Airways.

Refuellers have only seen a 3.5 per cent pay rise over the past three years, according to the Transport Workers Union, however, the cost of living has risen by more than 15 per cent.

Workers are also demanding secure employment as only 24 out of 68 employees hold full-time positions.

TWU NSW and Queensland state secretary Richard Olsen said workers have no choice but to strike.

“These workers are dedicated professionals who deserve better. Ampol’s refusal to address their reasonable requests has left them with no choice but to take action,” he said.

“In an industry where profits are soaring, it’s unacceptable that those who keep it running are treated so poorly.”

The strikes are set to span multiple shifts on Friday, including the night shift (1am-5am), day shift (7am-11am), and the afternoon shift (6pm-10pm).

It follows the Fair Work Commission last week rejecting Ampol Aviation’s claim the TWU hadn’t bargained in good faith.

Long domestic routes, including flights to Perth and Darwin, are most likely to be affected by the action, as well as long-haul international flights and east coast flights to Melbourne and Brisbane.

A Sydney Airport spokesperson urged travellers to stay alert for messages from airlines on Friday.

“We are ready to support our airline partners in mitigating the impact on their operations,” the spokesperson said.

“Passengers who are travelling on Friday are encouraged to stay alert for messages from their airline regarding the status of their flight.”

A statement from Ampol Aviation expressed disappointment over the strike action.

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“Ampol is disappointed that the Transport Workers’ Union has again made threats of industrial action. Ampol has offered a 25.6% remuneration and other benefit uplift over the life of the agreement and continues to work with its employees and bargaining representatives on resolving the matter,” the statement read.

“Should any employees participate in the TWU’s proposed action, we have contingencies in place to minimise operational disruptions for customers.

“We will continue to negotiate in good faith to arrive at a mutually beneficial resolution.”

A passenger who opened the emergency exit on a plane before going down the emergency slide has been taken to hospital, police say.

Travellers have been warned to allow extra time as industrial action causes delays at a major airport.

Aussies travelling to the US will be able to bypass lengthy processing lines and paper work after this move between the two countries.

Harris to embark on a seven-state campaign blitz with her VP pick

Vice President Kamala Harris will set out this week on a swing-state campaign blitz, giving her a far heavier travel schedule than her opponent, former President Donald Trump.

It will be a critical week for Harris, who is rushing to introduce herself to voters with just three months until Election Day. It will also be the first time she will appear with her yet-to-be-announced running mate.

Starting Tuesday, Harris will campaign across seven swing states over five days, one of the heaviest weeks of campaign-related travel in the general election.

Her team has vetted six contenders to be her running mate: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Walz, Shapiro and Kelly each met separately with Harris on Sunday, according to a source familiar with the meetings.

Harris is set to appear alongside her running mate for the first time Tuesday in Philadelphia , where the pair will kick off the cross-country tour.

Her travel swing is a stark contrast to the pace of Trump and President Joe Biden. Trump has delivered remarks in 10 states since the June 27 debate, while Biden traveled to campaign stops in eight states during the final 24 days of his candidacy. Harris’ travel this week will take her to seven states in less than a fourth of the time.

Harris will visit five states that she and Biden flipped blue in 2020: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Arizona. She will also make stops in North Carolina, which Biden lost by a slim margin, and Nevada, where Democrats won narrowly.

The trip highlights the generational gap between Harris compared with Biden and Trump, Democratic allies said.

Biden’s candidacy was consistently plagued by voter concerns about his age, and his final weeks as the presumptive nominee were punctuated by a stream of congressional Democrats urging him to pass the torch to a new generation.

“Age really does matter” when it comes to a candidate’s ability to commit to long campaign trips, said Amanda Renteria, who was the national political director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.

Harris, 59, is a generation younger than Trump, 78, and Biden, 81.

In 2020, Biden was the oldest presidential winner in history. If elected, Trump would be the oldest sitting president by the end of his term.

“It is amazing what candidates can do when they’re traveling around, and you don’t know what time it is, and you don’t know what day it is, but everyone’s in it,” she said. “And you can only sustain that for so long. And when you’re at the age of Trump, I don’t know how you keep up with that.”

Trump is scheduled this week to hold a rally Friday and deliver remarks at a dinner in Montana, a state he won in 2020 with 56.9% of the vote. He is also scheduled to hold a fundraiser Saturday in Colorado, which Biden won by a similar margin in 2020. Neither state is considered to be a swing state.

Reached for comment, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung pointed to the overall difference in the number of Trump and Harris campaign trips.

"In this cycle, President Trump has by far visited more battleground states, held more rallies, held more fundraisers, done more interviews and engaged with local reporters," Cheung said of Trump, who launched his campaign more than a year and a half before Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee.

"Kamala Harris can’t even give a simple media interview since she was anointed the Democrat nominee," he continued. Harris has not held a sit-down media interview since Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, though she has answered journalists' questions in media gaggles.

In the days after Biden's widely panned June debate in Georgia, his campaign was in damage control mode. Biden spoke at a North Carolina rally and traveled to fundraisers in New York, New Jersey and Virginia before he held a rally in Wisconsin.

His next campaign trips were to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Nevada, the last of which was cut short when he contracted Covid. Days later, he dropped out of the race.

Democratic National Committee spokesperson Abhi Rahman said that if Biden had stayed in the race, "I'm sure that there would have been blitzes like this, as well."

But now "there's definitely a lot of desire to make sure that the vice president is defining herself and her VP before Republicans get a chance to," Rahman said. "So the timing of this definitely goes with that."

When Biden was the presumptive nominee, the Trump campaign aimed many of its attacks at his cognitive ability, leaning into voters' concerns about his age. But with Harris' being a generation younger than Trump, Republicans have had to pivot their approach.

"I think she's making a point of her relative youth and vitality," said Bill Galston, a Brookings Institution fellow and official in President Bill Clinton's administration. "It's a point that she doesn't have to talk about because she's just showing it."

Harris' campaign swing is also consistent with how candidates typically pick up the pace as the election draws closer, said Aleigha Cavalier, a Democratic strategist at the strategy and marketing agency Precision Strategies. But she said Harris' travel pace compared to Trump's and Biden's is "a real advantage."

"I think the fact that she's willing and able to do this many events in a small amount of time is something that can make a real difference, especially when we're less than a hundred days out" from the election, Cavalier said.

Traveling for campaign events can create more opportunities for local media coverage, accelerate fundraising and identify potential future volunteers, said Eric Jaye, a Democratic consultant at Storefront Political Media, a campaign consulting firm. But most important, candidates are activating thousands of "micro-influencers" at rallies, he said.

"They're all holding up their phones, and they're all publishers," he said, adding that when rallygoers post pictures of themselves with a candidate, "that will go out to their networks, which is an endorsement for their networks."

"If you can get 10,000 people to share that they trust Kamala Harris, that has an impact as a form of media and communication in and of itself," Jaye said. "So essentially these are conventions of micro-influencers."

Already, the Harris campaign has touted a groundswell of volunteer support, noting in a memo released Saturday that over the previous 12 days, volunteers had placed 2.3 million phone calls and knocked on 172,000 doors.

The seven-state tour “shows that she has a ton of energy,” Renteria said. “It shows that her campaign is ready to go and is thinking through things and able to execute well. So it’s super exciting.”

Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.