Committee advances bill to expand county transportation for disabled veterans to medical care

The Assembly Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee on May 7 voted to release A1040, a bill that would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate with county governments to expand services under the Senior Citizens and Disabled Residents Transportation Assistance Program so disabled veterans can get to in‑state medical appointments.

The bill, as read into the record, would direct the department to help counties identify veteran transportation needs and provide financial assistance to offset the cost of service expansions. It also would set aside 4% of the amount currently appropriated to the New Jersey Transit Corporation from the Casino Revenue Fund for grants to counties to provide transportation for disabled veterans to medical appointments within the state.

Why it matters: Committee members and veterans' representatives said access to reliable transportation is a pressing problem for rural and low‑income veterans who lack family support or local transit options. "I receive somewhere around five phone calls a day asking for rides," said Robert Bicino, commander of the Disabled American Veterans, describing last‑minute, desperate requests from veterans who cannot otherwise get to appointments.

Witnesses said the law enacted in 2015 has not produced consistent service and questioned what, if any, programs the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs has developed with New Jersey Transit or the VA since passage. "There is no program developed that I can find on New Jersey Transit's website," Ken Hegeman, representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars, told the committee, urging statutory changes so counties would be authorized to provide transportation even when care lies across a short state border.

Committee members pressed on legal limits. "We don't have the authority to go across state lines," a committee member said during questioning, noting the attorney general has previously advised that enforceability of state laws ends at state borders. The exchange left unresolved whether the bill should be drafted to make county participation permissive or to seek statutory language attempting to authorize cross‑state trips.

The committee moved and released the bill on a recorded roll call. The clerk recorded six yes votes and no opposing votes. The committee did not adopt a floor amendment at the meeting; the bill was released to the next step in the legislative process.

The bill's supporters emphasized that grants and coordination could reduce missed appointments, especially in rural counties that rely heavily on volunteers or nonprofits to get veterans to care. Opponents or neutral members raised enforceability and implementation questions the department and counties would need to answer as the bill moves forward.