There are a wide range of benefits available to veterans. From healthcare and monetary benefits to housing and loans, veterans have lots of options for help. VA healthcare has been a hot topic in the past years because of the massive backlog. Many veterans are forced to wait for months and even years to get the healthcare they need. Even after veterans get approved for treatment, getting to the treatment facility can be a challenge because transportation programs for veterans are hard to come by.
It’s common for veterans, especially disabled veterans, to not have a reliable form of transportation due to financial struggles. This forces veterans to be dependent on public transportation, which still isn’t free. To help veterans afford transportation to their medical appointments, the state of New Jersey is set to pass a bill that would reimburse veterans for the cost of public transportation.
The bill establishes a program that provides help to qualified veterans in in-patient and out-patient treatment programs to travel to attend counseling programs within New Jersey.
Vince Mazzeo who co-sponsored the bill said, “Counseling programs are vital for many of our veterans, who sacrificed so much serving our country. Unfortunately, getting to these programs can prove difficult for many veterans, so the least we can do is create a program to ensure they can travel to attend these programs.”
Veterans who qualify will be reimbursed for using their private vehicles or using public transportation. For private transportation, veterans will be reimbursed by the mile.
If veterans use a for-hire transportation service, they can be reimbursed for the cost of the service if the veteran has a certified service-connected disability that makes the veteran unable to drive a vehicle or use public transportation.
Programs like this are essential if we want veterans to be able to take advantage of existing benefit programs. Ideally, other states will take notice of this program and make transportation to treatment available to veterans across the country.
If you’re a veteran suffering from a service-connected disability and believe you may be eligible for VA benefits, the staff of Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law, can help you build a strong case for benefits with their proven experience and expert research team on your side.
