Travel Assistance for Veterans in Medical Deserts Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9316 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9316

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand the eligibility of
  veterans with service-connected disabilities who reside in certain
territories or the Freely Associated States for payments or allowances
                        for beneficiary travel.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 15, 2026

Ms. King-Hinds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand the eligibility of
  veterans with service-connected disabilities who reside in certain
territories or the Freely Associated States for payments or allowances
                        for beneficiary travel.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Travel Assistance for Veterans in
Medical Deserts Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY OF VETERANS WITH SERVICE-CONNECTED
              DISABILITIES WHO RESIDE IN CERTAIN TERRITORIES OR THE
              FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES FOR PAYMENTS OR ALLOWANCES FOR
              BENEFICIARY TRAVEL.

    Section 111(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)(B)--
                    (A) by striking ``rated at 30 percent or more.''
                and inserting an em dash; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
                    ``(i) rated at 30 percent or more; or
                    ``(ii) without regard to rating in the case of a
                veteran who resides in a covered jurisdiction in which
                no medical facility of the Department is located.'';
                and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(5) In this subsection:
            ``(A) The term `covered jurisdiction' means a territory or
        the Freely Associated States.
            ``(B) The term `Freely Associated States' has the meaning
        given such term in subsection (h).
            ``(C) The term `territory' has the meaning given such term
        in section 5 of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and
        Economic Stability Act (Public Law 114-187; 48 U.S.C. 2104).''.
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