Bill Details
S.827 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-07-30 - Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Introduced Date
2025-03-04
Policy Area
Armed Forces and National Security
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would continue and update a Veterans Affairs grant program that helps veterans in rural and remote areas get transportation to health care services. It expands who can receive these grants, raises the amount of money available in some cases, and sets aside funding for the program through 2029. The goal is to make it easier for veterans who live far from VA care, especially in hard-to-reach communities, to get to appointments and other needed services.
- It adds tribal organizations and Native Hawaiian organizations as groups that can receive these transportation grants.
- It changes the maximum grant amount to $50,000, with a possible increase of up to 50% more for certain counties that have more than five communities not connected to the road system.
- It updates the program rules so the term “recipient” is used more broadly instead of only naming state veterans agencies or veterans service organizations.
- It provides funding for the program for fiscal years 2025 through 2029, using whatever amount is needed each year.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 827 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 827
To extend and modify the transportation grant program of the Department
of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 4, 2025
Mr. Cramer (for himself, Mr. King, and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To extend and modify the transportation grant program of the Department
of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Rural Veterans Access to
Healthcare Services Act''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF TRANSPORTATION GRANT PROGRAM OF
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
Section 307 of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services
Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-163; 38 U.S.C. 1710 note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the
following new subparagraphs:
``(C) Tribal organizations.
``(D) Native Hawaiian organizations.'';
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``State veterans
service agency or veterans service organization
awarded'' and inserting ``recipient of''; and
(C) by amending paragraph (4) to read as follows:
``(4) Maximum amount.--
``(A) In general.--Except as provided in
subparagraph (B), the amount of a grant under this
section may not exceed $50,000.
``(B) Additional amount.--In the case of a county
that has more than five communities that are off the
road system, the amount of a grant awarded with respect
to that county under this section may be increased by
an amount not to exceed 50 percent of the amount
specified in subparagraph (A).'';
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph
(4); and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following
new paragraphs:
``(2) Native hawaiian organization.--The term `Native
Hawaiian organization' has the meaning given that term in
section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517).
``(3) Tribal organization.--The term `Tribal organization'
has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the Indian
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
5304).''; and
(3) in subsection (d), by striking ``$3,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2010 through 2022'' and inserting ``such sums as
may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029''.
<all>