Schatz, Murkowski Introduce Legislation To Make Transportation More Cost-Effective For Disabled Veterans

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced legislation that would expand transportation access for veterans with disabilities. S.4372, the Deliver for Veterans Act, would expand a Veterans Affairs (VA) grant program to cover shipping costs for disabled veterans who require modified vehicles for transportation.

“Disabled veterans deserve access to every benefit they have earned – regardless of where they live,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bill is about basic fairness and will help disabled veterans in Hawai‘i and other isolated areas receive the specialized vehicles they need to go about their daily lives.”

“Since the inception of this program, veterans in isolated states have faced financial barriers posed by their geography when trying to access vehicles that fit their needs,” said Senator Murkowski. “It can be incredibly costly to transport a car to communities throughout Alaska, placing an added financial burden on disabled veterans who have already paid enough. This legislation will help address this and give our disabled veterans their mobility back.”

Currently, eligible veterans can receive roughly $25,600 toward specially altered vehicles, equipped with modifications such as van lifts, raised doors or roofs, or wheelchair tie-downs. However, they are prohibited from using their grant funding to ship their newly modified vehicles, making acquisition of these vehicles in states like Alaska and Hawai‘i overly cost prohibitive. This legislation would allow the grant to cover these additional costs, helping alleviate financial burdens for Veterans who have bravely fought and sacrificed for our nation. S.4372 is the Senate companion to H.R.522, introduced by U.S. Representative James Moylan, the Delegate from Guam.

The full text of the bill is available here.

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