Florida Senator Rick Scott leads bipartisan effort to ease VA travel reimbursement process for veterans
Florida – Together with Senator Jacky Rosen, Senator Rick Scott has led the introduction of the Preserving Access to Patient Reimbursement (PAPR) Act, a pivotal move to support United States veterans. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation seeks to address the challenges faced by veterans in accessing travel expense reimbursements from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The PAPR Act responds to the VA’s recent change to handle travel reimbursements only online. For veterans lacking the means or familiarity with navigating internet platforms, this digital shift has proved difficult.
Sponsored by a varied group of senators including Roger Marshall, Jim Risch, Mike Rounds, Thom Tillis, Roger Wicker, Angus King, and Gary Peters, the proposed legislation seeks to preserve the option for paper-based claims, so ensuring that every veteran can get the reimbursements they are entitled to without unnecessary struggle.
“Our veterans are American heroes, who have put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms as Americans. They have sacrificed so much on behalf of the country and shouldn’t have to face unnecessary hurdles at the VA, an agency designed to provide the support they earned. This bill provides a simple fix that makes it easier for our veterans to get their reimbursements, by ensuring paper files are available for those with limited access to or experience with computers or online-based systems. I urge my colleagues to support the PAPR Act and pass it swiftly into law,” Sen. Scott said.
“Our veterans sacrificed so much for our nation, and it’s our responsibility to make sure they can easily access the benefits they’ve earned. That’s why I’m helping to introduce this commonsense, bipartisan bill to increase the methods available to veterans to receive reimbursement forms for travel expenses,” Senator Jacky Rosen said.
Emphasizing its broad appeal and immediate need for its passage, Congressmen Gus Bilirakis and Chris Pappas support the legislative initiative in the House of Representatives as well. Regardless of technological proficiency, the PAPR Act is an important attempt to guarantee that veterans’ services are inclusive and easily available to all.
Different veterans’ organizations and others that understand the value of several access points to VA services support the bill as it passes the legislative process. The PAPR Act seeks to guarantee that no veteran is left behind because of the digital divide by bringing paper-based approaches back alongside digital ones.
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This legislative initiative highlights the ongoing dedication of the U.S. Congress to assist the men and women who have served their nation so they may get the benefits and support they are due in the most easily available form. As the discussion around the PAPR Act progresses, it remains a beacon of bipartisan cooperation in a landscape often divided.
