Navigation New Law Expands VA Program for Veterans to Buy Vehicles Adapted for Their Disabilities
A new law has recently been signed into action by President Joe Biden allowing for an expansion of benefits for Veterans that require adapted automobiles based on their service-connected disabilities and disorders. The previous law allowed Veterans to receive a one-time payment for such a specially adapted vehicle, but only provided for a single such payment during the entire lifetime of a Veteran. Therefore, Veterans in need of new or updated vehicles have had to pay for any additional vehicles out of pocket and have been ineligible for additional VA benefits to help with those costs. Now, Veterans who meet the requirements for such benefits will be eligible for an automobile grant every 10 years through the VA.
Under the Advancing Uniform Transportation Opportunities for Veterans Act, Veterans who have not received a grant in the past 30 years will be eligible for another grant. Thereafter, Veterans will be eligible every 10 years. Before the legislation was approved, the VA was authorized to pay Veterans multiple grants for special adaptive equipment but was limited to a single grant for a vehicle purchase. The VA’s program covers a new or used vehicle for Veterans with a service-connected disability who need transportation to go to medical appointments and treatment, vocational rehabilitation or certain types of therapy. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the total cost of the legislation to be $43 million from 2022 to 2032. The new legislation also includes a provision that allows the VA to pay for vehicle modifications as medical services, such as van lifts, raised doors or roofs, air conditioning or wheelchair tie-downs. This expansion of benefits should significantly help younger Veterans over their lifetime as well as Veterans in rural areas that require more travel to get to and from medical care or other needs.
