WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Congressman David Wu introduced a bill to increase rural veterans’ access to much-needed health care, disability compensation, education, homeownership, and transportation benefits.

The Rural Veterans Services Outreach and Training Act, H.R. 4028, creates a competitive grant program to help increase the number of veteran service officers that are available to assist veterans living in rural areas.  The bill is backed by 19 original cosponsors.  

Veteran service officers help veterans and their families by providing information, counseling, and application assistance for the many benefits available to those who served in our armed forces.  

“All veterans have served our country with distinction, and rural veterans deserve equal access to the benefits that all other veterans receive,” said Congressman Wu.  “It is patently unfair that some veterans go without the benefits they need, deserve, and have earned, simply because they do not live near a Veterans Affairs Regional Office.”

More than 6 million veterans currently live in rural areas, according to 2008 estimates.  Meeting their health needs is particularly important because, according to a 2004 report published in the American Journal of Public Health, veterans in rural areas are generally in poorer health than their urban and suburban counterparts.  

In order to receive funding under this bill, states must demonstrate that they have rural counties that do not receive adequate coverage from the existing veteran service officers.  States must also provide a 20 percent match to the federal funds and ensure that the federal funds are used to supplement, not supplant, existing funding.  

“Without convenient access to veteran service officers, rural veterans are forced to drive an average of 63 miles to the nearest VA Regional Office for care,” Wu said.  “Alternately, they can try to get assistance by phone or the Internet, but as anyone who has ever encountered an automated phone system knows, this can be frustrating and discouraging.  No veteran—especially those who have suffered physical, emotional, or psychological injuries in service to their country—should be forced to navigate the VA bureaucracy alone.”

Congressman Wu has long advocated for the needs of our country’s veterans, and testified before the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs in June 2008 about the needs of rural veterans.  He introduced a similar version of this legislation in 2008.

“This bill opens up a new pathway for funds to support our rural veterans,” said Wu.  “Our men and women in uniform give so much in service to our country, and they deserve our commitment to ensuring that they have access to local assistance and can obtain the benefits they have earned.”

In addition to introducing today’s legislation, during the previous year Congressman Wu has helped Congress pass numerous bills that will benefit American veterans.  In sum, $1.4 billion in additional veterans funding has been signed into law in 2009 with Wu’s support.  Other veterans’ legislation includes:

Signed into Law

Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-81) includes a historic new approach that allows Congress to fund VA medical accounts one year ahead of schedule to ensure adequate and timely funding for veterans’ health care and end chronically late budgets for the Department of Veterans Affairs.  

Passed By the House

H.R. 1211, Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act, would expand and improve VA services for the 1.8 million women veterans.  Congressman Wu was an original cosponsor of this legislation.

H.R. 3155, Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act, would provide immediate support for America’s wounded warriors by conducting outreach, providing training, and offering counseling to their caregivers.  

H.R. 1171, Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program Reauthorization Act, strengthens national efforts to prevent America’s heroes from ever becoming homeless.  

H.R. 3219, Veterans’ Insurance and Health Care Improvements Act of 2009, gives veterans greater flexibility in their insurance choices and ensures that veterans are able to plan appropriately for their financial security.  

H.R. 3949, Veterans’ Small Business Assistance and Servicemembers Protection Act of 2009, addresses reintegration challenges for veterans and provides enhanced protections for veteran-owned small business, deployed service members, and family members of veterans.