GOP members offer bill to help veterans in rural areas access health care

Four Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), signed on as cosponsors of a bipartisan bill that would help veterans living in rural areas get transportation to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facilities.

The bill, the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act, S. 3751, was sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on Feb. 7. In addition to Sen. Collins, Sens. John Thune (R-SD), Todd Young (R-IN), and Deb Fischer (R-NE) have cosponsored the measure.

S. 3751 would expand eligibility to the VA’s Highly Rural Transportation Grant Program (HRTG), which provides grant funding to Veteran Service Organizations and State Veterans Service Agencies to provide transportation in eligible counties, according to a bill summary. The HRTG Program is currently only available to counties with fewer than seven people per square mile.

“In Maine – a large, rural state with one of the highest number of veterans per capita – only veterans living in Piscataquis County are eligible for this important grant program that provides transportation to VA and VA-authorized healthcare facilities,” Sen. Collins said. 

The bill would expand the VA’s definition of rural areas to ensure more counties are eligible for the grant program. It would also increase the maximum amount grant recipients are eligible for from $50,000 to $60,000, or up to $80,000 for grantees to purchase an ADA-compliant vehicle, the bill summary said. 

“By expanding program eligibility to include more highly rural areas, this bipartisan bill would allow veterans in additional Maine counties to gain access to these transportation services,” Sen. Collins said. 

Her office cited VA data that shows more than 6 in 10 veterans in Maine reside in rural areas.