Tester Delivers for Montana Veterans

Senate Passes Three Tester Authored Provisions to Increase Veterans Access to Health Care and Housing

(U.S. Senate) – The Senate passed three of Senator Jon Tester’s provisions today that will help Montana veterans access health care and housing.

“Our veterans put their lives on the line and they deserve to be honored when they come home,” Tester said. “These bills will provide valuable services to veterans and I was happy to see the Senate reauthorize them. Now if only Senate leadership would get off their hands and allow a vote on the Veterans First Act we could really get to work on getting our veterans the care they earned.”

The Senate voted 89-0 to reauthorize the following Tester sponsored initiatives:

Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program – Provides support to state and local groups that assist homeless veterans looking for employment.

Rural Veterans Travel Program – Authorizes the VA to provide transportation to and from VA medical facilities for veterans.

In addition to those two initiatives the Senate also reauthorized a grant program initially created by Tester in 2010 that would provide help to groups such as the Disabled American Veterans, who provide critical transportation services to veterans through volunteer drivers. These provisions are particularly important for veterans in rural states like Montana where the nearest facility could be hundreds of miles away.

The legislation now heads to the President’s desk for signature.

Tester’s bipartisan, comprehensive VA reform bill, the Veterans First Act, has yet to receive a vote because Republicans are blocking a vote on the bill.