R48406 — Connecting Veterans and Veterans Organizations to Federal Transportation Assistance

Many veterans have transportation needs that affect their daily lives. Specifically, veterans often require access to medical facilities for their own care and may not have access to transportation. More than 9 million veterans are enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) health care system, and more than 6 million receive health care services through VA’s Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical facilities. However, transportation can be a barrier to care for a variety of reasons, including rurality, lack of access to a vehicle, condition-specific challenges, and the cost of travel. To help veterans overcome these barriers, there are a number of federally supported VA transportation assistance programs. Some—such as the Beneficiary Travel Program (BTP), the VHA-Uber Health Connect, and Veterans Transportation Service—provide reimbursement or direct assistance with rides. Others, including the Highly Rural Transportation Grants, provide funding to organizations transporting veterans. In addition, other federal agencies offer programs that are not primarily targeted toward veterans but may support veterans, such as the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center, Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Grants, and Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities—Section 5310. Locating information about these programs, their availability, and their requirements can be challenging. This report compiles information that congressional offices can use to assist constituents with issues related to veterans’ transportation—for individual veterans and organizations that wish to aid veterans. Constituents may also investigate programs administered by state and local governments as well as local volunteer efforts.

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