Bill · S. 784· Senate(119-S-784)
Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act
- Introduced
- 2/27/2025
- Last activity
- 5/21/2025 — Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 119-86.
- Sponsored by
- Jon Ossoff
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Rural Veterans Transportation to Care Act," seeks to expand and modify an existing Department of Veterans Affairs grant program. The goal is to provide innovative transportation options for veterans living in rural or highly rural areas. It modifies the scope of the program to include more types of organizations and updates the definition of rural areas. Additionally, it adjusts grant amounts and funding availability.
Yes· 3 of 9
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?+7
The bill expands transportation grant availability to include more organizations and broader rural area definitions for veterans.
Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive?+7
The bill expands the scope of transportation assistance available to veterans in rural and highly rural areas.
Would people with disabilities be better off under this?+6
The bill provides increased funding capacity for recipients to purchase ADA-compliant vehicles.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-1
The bill replaces fixed year-based funding with 'such sums as may be necessary,' which allows for flexible, open-ended federal spending.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Access to Transportation: By expanding the program to include "rural" areas alongside "highly rural" areas, more veterans may gain access to transportation options (Section 2).
-
New Eligible Organizations: The inclusion of "County veterans service organizations" and "Tribal organizations" as potential recipients may provide more diverse and localized transportation solutions for veterans (Section 2).
-
Support for Accessibility Needs: The bill allows for increased grant amounts up to $80,000 if a recipient needs to purchase a vehicle to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, ensuring veterans with disabilities can be transported (Section 2).
-
Flexible Funding: By replacing specific year-based funding with "such sums as may be necessary," the bill allows for ongoing funding of the program (Section 2).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Grant Caps: The bill sets a maximum grant amount of $60,000 for most recipients, which may limit the scale of transportation programs provided (Section 2).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Veterans+7Good For People With Disabilities+6Good For Native Americans+5Good For Rural Residents+5Good For Low Income Households+3
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Veterans Benefits+7
- Healthcare
- Improves Healthcare Access+6
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Disability Rights+5
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+4
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending-1
- 3/18/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/21/2025
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 119-86.
- 5/12/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 2/27/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Susan CollinsRepublican · Maine
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Jacky RosenDemocrat · Nevada