Supporting Rural Veterans Access to Healthcare Services Act

Key Points

• This bill extends a Department of Veterans Affairs program that gives grants to help veterans in rural areas get rides to their medical appointments. Many veterans live far from VA hospitals and struggle to find reliable transportation for checkups or treatments.
• For the first time, Tribal organizations and Native Hawaiian groups would be able to apply for these grants. This change is designed to help veterans living on reservations or in remote island communities where travel to a doctor can be especially difficult and expensive.
• The bill sets the standard grant amount at $50,000 per group. However, counties that have five or more communities "off the road system"—meaning they aren't connected by standard highways—can receive up to $75,000 to help cover the extra costs of traveling in very remote areas.
• If passed, the program would be funded through 2029. This provides long-term support for the local groups and state agencies that run shuttle services and travel programs for former service members who can no longer drive themselves.

Impact Analysis

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