H.R. 4961 · 117th Congress
Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2021
Key: what the circles and colors mean
Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:
Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.
Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.
Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
LarsenSponsor2 cosponsors · 1 D, 1 R
1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill addresses Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) transportation benefits for certain veterans.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Aug 6, 2021
Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2021
This bill addresses Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) transportation benefits for certain veterans.
First, the bill makes permanent the authority for the VA to transport any person to or from a VA facility or other place in connection with vocational rehabilitation, required counseling, or for an examination, treatment, or care.
The bill also permanently extends the authorization of appropriations for grants provided to state veterans service agencies and veterans service organizations to transport highly rural veterans for medical care.
The bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study fraud, waste, and abuse of benefits under the VA beneficiary travel program and report the findings to Congress. The GAO must also study and report on (1) the efficacy of the current mileage reimbursement rate under the program in mitigating the financial burden of transportation costs for traveling to and from VA medical facilities for care, (2) the origins of the amount of the deductible and its impact on the efficacy of the benefits provided in mitigating the financial burden on veterans seeking medical care, and (3) recommendations for how this program or another program could further encourage veterans to seek medical care.
The bill also requires the VA to implement various pilot programs related to transportation benefits for veterans for specified purposes.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2021
Latest action (Sep 9, 2021): Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security · Origin: House · Introduced: Aug 6, 2021
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.