Pasco Reporter

Washington, DC – Earlier today, Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Chris Pappas (D-NH) filed the Preserving Access to Patient Reimbursement Act (PAPR Act), which aims to guarantee that all Veterans across the nation can fully participate in the travel reimbursement program.

In late July of 2023, Congressman Bilirakis began receiving calls from concerned Veterans in his district who were upset about the newly announced changes to the VA Travel Reimbursement program. The changes required all travel reimbursement forms to be submitted online, eliminating the option for paper forms. This posed a problem for Veterans who lacked computer access, internet connectivity, or the capability to navigate the online portal.

One of the primary concerns highlighted by Congressman Bilirakis's Veterans Advisory Committee was the lack of broadband access in rural areas of Florida's 12th Congressional District. Many senior Veterans residing in these regions rely on the travel reimbursement program to afford the commute to their doctor appointments, often driving up to thirty miles each way multiple times per week.

Upon learning of this situation, Congressman Bilirakis reached out to James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital leadership to express his concerns. Local VA officials and the Congressman collaborated to ensure that paper forms were still accepted for Veterans who could not access the online portal.

However, Congressman Bilirakis later discovered that the VA had implemented a nationwide directive to disallow the use of paper forms starting in Fiscal Year 2024. This meant that local VA Centers would no longer have a mechanism to process paper forms. Outraged by this development, the Congressman took action by introducing the PAPR Act.

"It is simply unconscionable that the VA would implement a nationwide policy that threatens to leave many of our most vulnerable Veterans behind," said Congressman Gus Bilirakis. "By effectively eliminating access to the travel reimbursement program for some Veterans, the VA is jeopardizing their ability to get the healthcare they’ve earned and deserve. While we are working to expand broadband connectivity throughout the country, there are still swaths that do not have access, including parts of my district. Also, many elderly Veterans and those with physical impairments do not have the capability to navigate the online portal. All of these Veterans deserve access to care and to the reimbursement program. I will not stop fighting until a commonsense solution to this manufactured problem is implemented."

"For many New Hampshire veterans, seeking VA care means traveling long distances across our state to reach a community-based outpatient clinic or VA hospital," said Congressman Chris Pappas. "We ought to make it easier for these veterans to receive the travel reimbursements they are owed, and I'm glad to partner with Congressman Bilirakis on this commonsense legislation to ensure reimbursement forms are available via mail and at all VA facilities - not just online."