Wyoming Mileage Reimbursement for Special Education Travel

Driving your child to a specialist two hours away, twice a week, adds up fast. In a state where the nearest qualified SLP, neuropsychologist, or behavioral specialist may be in a different city — or a different state — Wyoming parents routinely absorb enormous transportation costs to access IEP-mandated services their local district cannot deliver. What many parents do not know is that Wyoming allows school districts to reimburse parents for these travel costs. Parents can claim mileage for out-of-district travel directly related to a service or program provided under the student's IEP, when the travel and reimbursement process are documented.

The Legal Basis for Mileage Reimbursement

Under WDE guidance on allowable special education costs, parent reimbursement for out-of-district travel expenses is an approved special education expenditure. The reimbursement applies when the travel is directly related to a service or program provided under the student's IEP.

Wyoming Department of Education guidance on allowable costs under special education funding (WDE401 Allowable Costs Document) explicitly includes parent reimbursement for out-of-district travel expenses as an approved special education expenditure. Under Wyoming's 100% state reimbursement model (Wyoming Statute § 21-13-321(b)), approved special education expenses are reimbursed through the state model. The district still needs to follow the applicable approval and documentation process.

The applicable mileage rate is the standard state employee mileage rate:

• 2026: $0.725 per mile
• 2025: $0.70 per mile
• 2024: $0.67 per mile

This rate is set annually by the Wyoming Governor's Office and applies to state employees traveling on official business. Wyoming school districts apply the same rate to parent reimbursement for IEP-related out-of-district travel.

When Reimbursement Applies

Mileage reimbursement applies when:

1. The travel is directly related to an IEP service or program. Your child is traveling to receive speech therapy, OT, a neuropsychological evaluation, a specialized behavioral program, or another service specified in the IEP that is not available locally.

2. The need for out-of-district travel is explicitly written into the IEP. This is the step most parents miss. If the IEP does not state that the student's program requires out-of-district travel and that the district will reimburse parent transportation costs at the state mileage rate, the district may argue that reimbursement was never agreed upon. Get it in the IEP document.

3. You maintain a mileage log. Reimbursement is not automatic. You must submit documentation of each trip — date, destination, purpose (the IEP service accessed), and round-trip mileage. Most districts require this to be submitted to the special education office on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Reimbursement does not apply for general medical appointments, after-school activities, or travel unrelated to an IEP-mandated service.

How to Get Transportation Reimbursement Into Your IEP

This is the most common practical problem parents face: the district acknowledges that the only available specialist is in Casper, Denver, or Salt Lake City, but has not written reimbursement into the IEP. Here is how to address it:

At the IEP meeting: When the team acknowledges that the service your child needs is only available out of district, ask specifically: "Can we include transportation reimbursement in the IEP at the state mileage rate?" Have the team write this into the service delivery section of the IEP, specifying the rate and the process for submitting reimbursement requests.

If the district pushes back: Ask them to explain in a Prior Written Notice why they are refusing to include transportation reimbursement when the child's IEP requires out-of-district travel. If they acknowledge the travel is necessary for FAPE but refuse to fund it, that is a legally questionable position given Wyoming's reimbursement framework.

If the IEP is already in place and you've been driving unreimbursed: Request an IEP team meeting and ask to amend the IEP to include transportation reimbursement going forward. You can also document past unreimbursed travel and ask the district how its policy handles those expenses; do not assume past mileage is reimbursable without that written basis.

The Mileage Log

Keep it simple and consistent. A spreadsheet with these columns covers everything you need:

• Date of trip
• Destination (name of facility, city)
• Purpose (the specific IEP service — e.g., "speech therapy session with ABC Speech Clinic")
• Odometer start and end or round-trip mileage (Google Maps directions screenshot works as backup documentation)

Submit this log to the district's special education office according to the process written in your IEP. If the process is not specified in the IEP, ask the special education director in writing what the submission process is, and document that request.

What to Do If the District Refuses to Reimburse

If you have:

• Transportation reimbursement written into the IEP
• A complete mileage log submitted to the district
• And the district is not paying

...this is a clear compliance issue. First, send a written follow-up to the special education director documenting the submission and requesting payment within a specific timeframe. If payment does not follow, this is an appropriate basis for a WDE state complaint.

If the district refuses to include reimbursement in the IEP at all despite acknowledging that out-of-district travel is required for FAPE, document the refusal and ask how it will provide transportation or otherwise fund access to the required service.

Wyoming parents driving hundreds of miles a week to access IEP services their local district cannot provide should document the cost and ask the district to apply its approved-expense process. The legal framework recognizes parent reimbursement for approved out-of-district special-education travel expenses. The Wyoming IEP & 504 Advocacy Playbook includes transportation request letter templates and guidance on documenting travel costs as part of a FAPE demand.

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