Gluesenkamp Perez, Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Bill to Support Rural Veterans’ Transportation to Health Care

Yesterday, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), along with Reps. Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), and Don Davis (NC-01), introduced the bipartisan Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act to expand eligibility for rural veterans to get transportation to VA health facilities.

The legislation would expand eligibility for the VA’s Highly Rural Transportation Grant (HRTG) Program, which provides grant funding for Veteran Service Organizations and State Veterans Service Agencies to provide transportation at no cost to veterans.

The VA’s HRTG Program is currently only available to counties with fewer than 7 people per square mile. With updated 2020 Census data, there are only eligible counties in 13 states.

Due to this updated data, Skamania County lost eligibility for this critical program in 2023, just barely exceeding the threshold for qualification at 7.15 persons per square mile. Skamania County veterans have relied on this service since 2014, and the van made approximately 300 trips and transported between 40 and 60 veterans in 2022 alone to critical care that is increasingly rare in rural communities.

This bipartisan bill would improve how VA measures rurality, helping more veterans living in rural areas get transportation to VA or VA-authorized health care facilities. As a result, Skamania County would again become eligible, and Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, Pacific, Lewis, Thurston, and Clark Counties in Southwest Washington would become newly eligible.

The Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act: 

• Expands eligibility for the VA’s HRTG Program to both rural and highly rural counties.
• Defines rural and highly rural using RUCA designations to better take into account density, urbanization, and commuting and align with how the VA otherwise defines rurality.
• Includes tribal organizations as eligible recipients.
• Increases the maximum HRTG funding amount from $50,000 to $60,000, or up to $80,000 for grantees to purchase an ADA-compliant vehicle.

After Skamania County lost eligibility for the HRTG Program, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez sent a letter to then-Secretary of Veterans Affairs McDonough in 2023 urging the VA to fill transportation gaps for rural veterans and work with Congress to redefine highly rural. In a reply last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs expressed support for the provisions outlined in the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s remarks to the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health in support of the legislation last Congress are available here.

“It’s the responsibility of our federal government to ensure our nation’s heroes are well-supported after returning home and can access the benefits they’ve earned and deserve. As rural veterans across Southwest Washington face challenges accessing care, I’m fighting to make sure they aren’t left behind,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “This bipartisan bill will restore support for free health care transportation services for Skamania County veterans, while newly expanding eligibility to rural communities across Southwest Washington. The VA must uphold its promise to our rural veterans so they can access the care necessary to lead full, healthy lives.”

“Skamania County is nearly 1,700 square miles in size, with a population of a little less than 13,000 residents. An estimated 1,200 residents are U.S. military veterans, yet many of those have no form of transportation to get to and from medical appointments. Unfortunately, we in Skamania County no longer qualify for the federal rural veterans’ transportation funding because, apparently, we have 0.15 too many people per square mile to qualify as “rural,” said Monty Buettner, Commander of American Legion Coy-Catlin Post 137. “As Commander of the American Legion Post in Carson, Washington, I was extremely pleased to see this bipartisan bill, introduced by U.S. Representatives Gluesenkamp Perez, Ciscomani, and Vasquez. The Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act redefines the way the VA measures “rural.” If passed, this legislation would federally fund truly rural counties like Skamania, Wahkiakum, Pacific, Lewis, and others providing transportation to and from medical appointments for those willing to sacrifice their very lives in order to protect the freedoms we all still enjoy in this great country. I can only hope and pray the remaining legislators can set aside their differences and quickly pass this legislation, supporting our veterans in need.”

“After our veterans return home, it is our solemn duty to ensure they have access to the care, support, and benefits they need, no matter what corner of Arizona they live in,” said Rep. Ciscomani. “This bipartisan legislation will help better facilitate the transportation of our veterans, especially those in rural communities, so they can get the care they need in a timely and efficient way.”

“Veterans in rural communities should never have to choose between their health and the long, costly journey to access care. In New Mexico and across the country, too many veterans are forced to travel hours just to see a doctor,” said Rep. Vasquez. “The bipartisan Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act will expand eligibility for critical transportation services and ensure no veteran is left behind due to where they live. We made a promise to care for those who served, and this legislation helps us keep that promise by breaking down barriers to essential health care.

“No veteran who has given their life to serving our nation should have any doubt that they may be unable to access lifesaving health care services just because they live in a rural community,” said Rep. Davis. “The least we can do is support legislation to remove uncertainty for our most vulnerable veterans who lack access to transportation services. We will not stop fighting until every veteran and their family can easily access health care through the VA.”

“Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) proudly supports the Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act,” said Jose Ramos, WWP Vice President of Government and Community Relations. “We know that rural veterans experience unique challenges that impact their ability for accessing healthcare options through VA. This bill will provide clarity to VA’s definition of ‘rural’ to ensure more areas across the country are eligible for grant programs that support veterans and their transportation needs. We thank Representative Gluesenkamp Perez’s leadership on this issue and the bill’s co-sponsors for their efforts on behalf of the veteran community.”

Nearly 1 in 4 veterans in Washington live in rural areas, and there are roughly 2.7 million veterans in rural areas across the country who are enrolled in and rely on the VA’s health care system.  

Last year, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez sent a letter to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs urging the agency to reopen a VA clinic in Lewis County, after the Chehalis clinic was closed in 2021.

Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez has recovered over $542,000 for constituents owed to them by the Department of Veterans Affairs. She also co-led the bipartisan VET MEDS Act to support veterans’ access to VA-certified specialists and examiners in rural and high-need communities, which was signed into law as part of a larger Senate package in 2023.

Full text of the legislation is available here.

Reps. Gluesenkamp Perez, Ciscomani, and Vasquez previously introduced the legislation in the 118th Congress and it received the endorsement of the Problem Solvers Caucus.