Congress·In Committee·H.R. 9316

Travel Assistance for Veterans in Medical Deserts Act

Veterans Travel Pay: Expansion for Island Territories

25 days ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is being reviewed by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It was recently introduced and is actively moving through the system. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While veteran issues often get support, bills introduced by a single member without broad cosponsorship often struggle to move through committee.

Key Points

This bill helps veterans with service-connected disabilities who live in U.S. territories or the Freely Associated States. It focuses on areas that do not have any VA medical centers or clinics nearby.
Currently, most veterans need a disability rating of at least 30 percent to get money back for travel to medical appointments. This bill would remove that requirement for veterans living in these specific medical deserts.
The goal is to make sure veterans living in places like Guam, American Samoa, or the Marshall Islands can afford to travel for the healthcare they earned. It removes the financial barrier of expensive flights or boat trips to reach a doctor.
By expanding who can get travel pay, the bill addresses the unique challenges faced by those living far from the mainland. It ensures that a veteran's location does not prevent them from receiving treatment for their service-related injuries.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jun 15, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Jun 15, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Travel Assistance for Veterans in Medical Deserts Act

Bill NumberHR 9316

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.