A short addition to Section 3902(a) of the United States Code would make a significant impact on disabled veterans who require modified vehicles for transportation, according to U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
Schatz joined Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in reintroducing the Deliver for Veterans Act, which would expand an existing Department of Veterans Affairs grant program to cover shipping costs for disabled veterans seeking to obtain a modified vehicle.
“Disabled veterans deserve access to every benefit they have earned—regardless of where they live,” Schatz said “Our bill is about basic fairness and will help disabled veterans in Hawaii and other isolated areas receive the specialized vehicles they need to go about their daily lives.”
Currently, the program provides eligible veterans with a stipend of roughly $26,400 to purchase or modify accessible vehicles. However, those funds cannot be used to ship the vehicles, making it difficult for veterans outside the continental United States to acquire these vehicles. The Deliver for Veterans Act would amend the grant program to allow coverage of these additional costs.
Specifically, the legislation would specifically state that in addition to “the total purchase price of the automobile or other conveyance,” the stipend could apply to “the total shipping price to deliver the automobile to the eligible person.”
“Our veterans in rural Alaska deserve the same access to the specialized grant programs and services that they would get if they lived elsewhere in the country,” Murkowski said. “There is a significant financial burden associated with transporting a car to many of the rural communities around Alaska. As the state with the highest number of veterans per capita, I want those with disabilities living in Alaska to be able to benefit from the VA’s many excellent programs. Ensuring that they can affordably transport handicapped-modified vehicles to their homes is an important step.”
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.