Travel & Dependent Care Reimbursement for Donation-Related Travel & Dependent Care Costs

Donor Shield offers living donor financial assistance to cover donation-related expenses for travel, lodging, and meals for the donor and an accompanying caregiver, as well as dependent care (for children or adult dependents of the donor) when the donor is away from home during the donation process and when they are home recovering after the donation surgery.

Donors covered by Donor Shield are eligible for reimbursement of donation-related travel, lodging, meals, and dependent care costs up to a maximum of $6,000. No financial or income information is required from the recipient, and eligibility is not tied to income for either the donor or the recipient.

Covered travel expenses include transportation (taxi, ride share, car rental, parking), mileage (IRS medical mileage rate), lodging (hotel, motel, Airbnb, etc.), and meals. Receipts are required for travel, lodging, and meal reimbursement. Covered dependent care expenses include child or adult day care, before- and after-school care, in-home care and summer day camp. Receipts are required for dependent care provided by a care facility. If care is provided through an individual and a receipt for services cannot be produced, the donor will be asked to sign an affidavit as part of the reimbursement process.

All post-donation reimbursements are made via ACH** within approximately 10 business days after submission of receipts.

ACH payment will come from the law firm of Smith Carroad Wan & Parikh, P.C., which has been retained by the NKR to manage the Donor Shield reimbursement process.

Please note that travel and dependent care reimbursement is available up to the maximum amount for both kidney donation and liver donation. Double living donors can claim up to the maximum amount for each donation.

* Donors must participate in an NKR donation or donate at a Donor Shield Direct center to receive this living donor assistance.

** Reimbursements to the donor are via ACH to U.S. bank accounts that are maintained in the name of the donor. Also known as “direct payments,” ACH payments are a way to transfer money from one bank account to another without using paper checks, credit card networks, wire transfers, or cash.