On the recordJune 8, 2018
My amendment seeks to provide additional funding for the Veterans Transportation Program, which would provide additional resources for the Highly Rural Transportation Grants, Beneficiary Travel, and Veterans Transportation Service. A major challenge facing veterans across the Nation, including the central coast of California, is the lack of access to transportation when trying to get their medical appointments. This is especially prevalent in districts like mine, where veterans don't live in close proximity to a major VA medical center. Available local transportation to health appointments at the local community-based outpatient clinic is a constant challenge, as there are an insufficient number of buses and drivers. Currently, there is only one bus serving my district, and this one bus must make six stops before reaching the VA hospital in Los Angeles. Once there, veterans only have a short window of time to attend to all their appointments before needing to rush back to the bus to catch their transportation home. In many cases, with these time constraints, veterans are unable to fit all of their necessary appointments into one day, and must again struggle with transportation to get back to the hospital. Passage of this amendment would provide more transportation solutions for our veterans, allowing them to get to their medical appointments on time and receive proper medical care without the fear of being left behind, unable to get back home. Mr.…
