WASHINGTON, D.C. (Office of the CNMI Congressional Delegate) — Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds has introduced H.R. 9316, the Travel Assistance for Veterans in Medical Deserts Act, to expand eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiary travel reimbursements for veterans residing in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Freely Associated States — Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap).
Under current law, beneficiary travel reimbursement is generally limited to veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or higher. For veterans living in the CNMI and the FAS, where no VA medical facilities are available, accessing VA healthcare often requires costly regional or international travel.
The legislation would allow veterans residing in territories and the FAS to qualify for beneficiary travel reimbursement regardless of disability rating when no VA medical facility is located in their jurisdiction.
“Our veterans should not be financially penalized because they live in communities where the federal government does not provide local access to VA healthcare,” said King-Hinds. “Veterans in the CNMI and the Freely Associated States often have no choice but to travel significant distances to receive care they have earned through their service to our country.”
King-Hinds noted that the bill recognizes the unique geographic realities facing veterans across the Pacific and seeks to remove barriers that can prevent veterans from accessing needed medical care.
“For many veterans in our islands, obtaining healthcare comes with burdens that most Americans never have to consider,” she said. “It can mean purchasing airfare, arranging lodging, and spending days away from work and family simply to attend a medical appointment. When there is no local VA facility available, those costs and obstacles should not fall entirely on the veteran.”
She also emphasized the longstanding record of military service from the region.
“The CNMI and the Freely Associated States have answered the call to service at some of the highest per-capita rates in the nation,” King-Hinds said. “Congress has a responsibility to ensure that veterans from our region have meaningful access to the benefits and services they earned.”
The legislation is intended to reduce logistical and financial barriers to care for veterans living in medically underserved areas and ensure that geography does not determine whether a veteran can access healthcare.
“No veteran should have to choose between financial hardship and receiving necessary medical treatment,” King-Hinds said. “This is a commonsense step toward making sure veterans in the Pacific receive fair treatment and access to care.”
