Supporting Rural Veterans Access to Healthcare Services Act

Summary

Expands the Department of Veterans Affairs transportation grant program to explicitly allow Tribal organizations and Native Hawaiian organizations to receive grants, broadens the grant recipient language, raises the standard per-grant cap to $50,000 (and allows up to $75,000 for counties with more than five communities off the road system), adds statutory definitions for the newly included organizations, and replaces a fixed past appropriation amount with an open-ended funding authorization for fiscal years 2025–2029 "as may be necessary." The changes modify who can apply, increase award limits for certain rural/off-road counties, and authorize funding for the program through FY2029 subject to future appropriations.

• Adds Tribal organizations and Native Hawaiian organizations as explicit eligible recipients for VA transportation grants.
• Changes grant-recipient wording to a broader "recipient of," allowing more entity types to qualify.
• Sets a standard per-grant maximum of $50,000 and allows up to $75,000 for counties with >5 off-road communities.
• Incorporates definitions for "Tribal organization" and "Native Hawaiian organization" by reference to federal statutes.
• Replaces a fixed past appropriation with an open-ended authorization: "such sums as may be necessary" for FY2025–FY2029.
• Targets improved access to VA health care for veterans in rural, off-road, and tribal/Native Hawaiian communities.
• Does not itself appropriate a specific dollar amount for FY2025–FY2029; funding remains subject to the appropriations process.
• Does not impose new unfunded mandates on states or localities but expands grant eligibility and potential funding reach.