Senators Push to Expand VA Transportation Grants for Rural Veterans
The bipartisan effort would reauthorize a key transportation program supporting veterans needing medical care.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Highly Rural Transportation Grant program, which provides free transportation for veterans in remote areas to attend VA-authorized medical appointments.
“The number one reason our veterans have for missing a medical appointment is their lack of transportation,” Lonnie Wangen, Commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, said in a press release. “This program has greatly improved the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable veterans.”
Approximately 2.7 million veterans live in highly rural areas, defined as counties with fewer than seven people per square mile. In North Dakota, eligible counties include Benson, McKenzie, Sioux, and several others.
The Supporting Rural Veterans Access to Healthcare Services Act, sponsored by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Angus King (I-ME), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), would extend the program for five years and allow Tribal organizations to apply directly.
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