Van Drew, Diegnan Bills to Ease Vets’ Obstacles to Healthcare Get Senate OK

TRENTON – Two bills sponsored by Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1st) and Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D-18th) aimed at addressing obstacles to healthcare faced by veterans were approved Jan. 23 by the Senate.
According to a release, the bills would provide funding to ensure appropriate transportation for veterans traveling to VA hospitals, and to prevent residents of state-operated veterans’ nursing homes from having to pay for transportation to doctor appointments outside of the facility. 
“We have to make sure that veterans get the care they need. Unfortunately, particularly for those in South Jersey, accessing care can be an extremely difficult task. Many must travel for hours to get to VA hospitals for care, which is a real hardship.  One of the most painful challenges we’ve heard is that some of the elderly veterans make this trip without timely access to restrooms. We can and must do better,” stated Senator Van Drew.
“We’ve been advocating for a pilot program that will allow local veterans to get treatment at community hospitals covered by the VA. While that is our goal, this is a small step we can take in the short term to help lessen the burden on veterans,” he added.
“This is about treating veterans with compassion and decency. This bill will make sure those who must travel a significant distance to a veterans’ health care facility have an appropriate means of transportation funded by the state,” stated Diegnan.
“This is the right thing to do for those who have served this country with dignity, in what may be their greatest time of need,” he continued
The first bill (S2594) would require the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs to create a program to provide state funding to counties and municipalities to provide transportation services to veterans that require transport to a US Department of Veterans Affairs medical center or facility.
Under the bill, counties and municipalities receiving funding would provide for the transportation of veterans, on vehicles furnished with functioning bathroom facilities, to the nearest VA medical center.
A county or municipality receiving aid could also incorporate the funding into an existing transportation service operated to provide transportation services to veterans in accordance with this bill. 
The bill appropriates $500,000 for the purpose of providing grants to counties and municipalities to purchase vehicles having functioning bathroom facilities to provide transportation services to veterans. 
A second measure (S2592) would provide state funding to support the cost of transportation to doctor’s offices for residents living in state-operated veterans’ nursing home facilities.
Van Drew introduced the legislation after the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs began enforcing a policy in which residents living in these facilities who choose to see an outside doctor – in cases where the veterans’ home has a physician available to provide the medical care in-house – are charged a fee for transportation to the office.
Under the bill, funding for transportation would be provided by the state Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs through appropriations for the operation of each of the state’s three long-term care nursing homes for veterans and their spouses, located in Paramus, Menlo Park and Vineland. 
“This bill will provide the funding necessary to reinstate free transportation for veterans at the Vineland facility and the other two veterans’ homes in the state,” stated Van Drew. “These are men and women who have fought for our freedoms and now are depending on us to ensure they get the right care.” 
“We have to make sure that our state’s policies are not creating obstacles for veterans who are seeking access to health care,” stated Diegnan. “This will cover the cost of transportation for some our most vulnerable residents who live in veterans’ homes operated by the state, reinstituting a practice that previously existed in these facilities.” 
S2592 was approved by a vote of 36-0; S-2594 was approved 35-0. They next go to the Assembly for consideration.