This bill expands and makes permanent the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) grant program that provides transportation options to veterans for medical purposes.
First, the bill expands the program to cover transportation for veterans in rural areas, in addition to veterans in highly rural areas (who are already eligible under the program).
The bill also authorizes the VA to award such grants to county veterans service organizations and tribal organizations to assist veterans with transportation for medical care.
Further, the bill increases the maximum grant amount to $60,000. However, if a grant recipient is required to purchase a vehicle to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, such grant amount may be increased to not more than $80,000.
Finally, the bill defines rural and highly rural in the same manner as the terms are given under the Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA) coding system of the Department of Agriculture. RUCA uses population density and commuting patterns to assign designations.