The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Apr. 10 the availability of $7 million in grants to organizations that provide transportation services to rural Veterans.
The funding is intended for Veteran Service Organizations and State Veterans Service Agencies that help transport Veterans to and from VA or VA-authorized health care appointments. The Highly Rural Transportation Grants Program supports these efforts in counties with fewer than seven people per square mile, and there is no cost for eligible Veterans who use the program.
Since its launch in 2014, the Highly Rural Transportation Grants Program has awarded $35 million to organizations across 15 states, U.S. territories, and tribal lands. The department said this initiative aims to address geographic barriers that some rural Veterans face when accessing health care.
"Improving health care access for rural Veterans is vital," said VA Secretary Doug Collins. "These grants will help break down the geographic barriers to health care some rural Veterans face."
Applications for these grants are open until May 5, 2026. More information about eligibility, priorities, and application requirements can be found at VA.gov/HEALTHBENEFITS/vtp/grant_applicants or by applying through grants.gov.
The department also highlighted other recent efforts including enrolling more than 100,000 new Veterans in VA health care in 2026; opening 34 new facilities since January 2025; reducing the backlog of benefits claims by 67%; completing over 82 million direct care appointments in fiscal year 2025; offering more than two million after-hours appointments; and permanently housing nearly 52,000 homeless Veterans during fiscal year 2025.
