Overview of VTS Program

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Healthcare System provides primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support to serve America’s Veterans’ health and wellness needs. To do this, VHA needs to be a comprehensive, integrated healthcare system providing excellence in health care value, excellence in service as defined by its customers, and excellence in education and research.  To enhance the VHA system, the Central Business Office (CBO) is launching a new transportation program for immobilized and remote VA patients to enhance existing programs implemented by local VA Medical Centers (VAMCs).  Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) seeks to provide transportation services to include vehicle routing/scheduling software for VA Medical Facilities. The ride scheduling and routing systems will include GPS modules for VTS vehicles.

VA especially recognizes the problems Veterans who are visually impaired, elderly, or immobilized due to disease or disability, particularly those living in remote and rural areas, face in traveling to access VA health care.  To work toward providing these Veterans with the most convenient and timely access to transportation services, VA’s vision is to explore the establishment of a network of community transportation service providers that could include Veteran Service Organizations (VSO’s); community and commercial transportation providers; federal, state and local government transportation services as well as non-profits, such as United We Ride, operating within each VISN or even local facility.

This initiative will not replace current activities, but will rather supplement existing benefits and programs to improve access to VA health care.

This program is currently enabled at forty-five sites, and will be implemented at remaining locations by 2015.  If VTS is currently available in your location you may get more information on scheduling a ride by clicking a link to left.  Information will be updated as new locations come on board.