[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 53 (Tuesday, March 27, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S3842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. TESTER (for himself and Mr. Salazar):
  S. 994. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to eliminate 
the deductible and change the method of determining the mileage 
reimbursement rate under the beneficiary travel program administered by 
the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I am proud to introduce legislation 
that will go a long ways toward meeting our Nation's obligations to our 
rural veterans. The Disabled Fairness Act will make a real improvement 
in the lives of America's rural veterans--more than 17,000 of whom live 
in my State.
  For many veterans who live far from a VA hospital or community health 
center, transportation remains the single biggest obstacle to care. 
Today, disabled veterans are eligible to have only a small fraction of 
their transportation costs reimbursed. They must pay the first $18 per 
month out of their own pocket. And after that, they receive 
reimbursement at the rate of just 11 cents per mile--less than one-
quarter of the current rate of 48.5 cents per mile for Government 
employees. The reimbursement rate has not been changed since 1977. That 
is unacceptable.
  In Montana, we have several very good VA health clinics, as well as 
one of the best hospitals in the VA system, the Ft. Harrison Hospital 
in Helena. But the smaller clinics simply cannot provide all the 
services that Ft. Harrison offers. That is no complaint against these 
clinics, it is just a fact.
  So when a disabled veteran in my State gets in his car and drives 200 
miles from Havre to the Ft. Harrison VA hospital in Helena to receive 
treatment for an injury he suffered while defending our country, he 
will be reimbursed $4. On the way back, he will be eligible to be 
reimbursed $22. That is $26 total for a trip that the Federal 
Government estimates will actually cost $194. That is a slap in the 
face to someone whose life has been fundamentally altered by the wounds 
they suffered on the field of battle.
  In the last month, AAA reports that the price of gas in Montana has 
increased 36 cents over the last month. That means disabled veterans 
are spending much more of their own money to get to a VA hospital, 
especially in places like Montana, where a trip to the hospital can 
mean a journey of hundreds of miles.
  The Disabled Veterans Fairness Act ends this practice. My bill 
repeals the $18 per month deductible that disabled veterans must 
satisfy before they can be eligible for reimbursement for mileage 
traveled to and from a VA hospital for treatment. The bill also raises 
the reimbursement rate from the current level of 11 cents per mile to 
the prevailing rate for Federal employees, as determined by the General 
Services Administration.
  I also want to thank Senator Salazar for his advice on this 
legislation. I am proud to have him as a cosponsor. He has worked so 
hard to improve the lives of rural veterans, and I look forward to 
supporting his efforts in the coming months as well.
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