Transportation remains one of the greatest barriers to increasing Veterans’ access to health care. Veterans may face a wide range of transportation challenges ranging from not having access to transportation to relying on a caregiver who may be unavailable or to needing a long-distance drive to their nearest VA.
Following a successful pilot at 10 VA medical centers in 2022, the VHA-Uber Health Connect (VUHC) Initiative is now expanding to 60 new VAMCs to continue addressing this challenge. Eligible Veterans in 18 states and Puerto Rico will have access to supplemental transportation to and from their medical care, expanding access to the soonest and best care.
The start of the VHA-Uber Health Connect Initiative
In collaboration with VHA Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE), the Veteran Transportation Program and Uber Health, VUHC first launched across 10 VAMCs between January 2022 and April 2023. Dr. Indra Sandal started VUHC as a 2021 Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow with VHA IE. The program proved a success with more than 32,000 rides completed across over 450,000 miles.
“My main goal was to improve Veterans’ mobility experience and access to care, but there was the added bonus of saving VA money with this program,” said Dr. Sandal, national lead for VUHC and chief of innovation at James A Haley VA in Tampa, Florida.
Survey feedback from 2,300 participants shows that 83% of Veterans would not have been able to access their medical care without the VUHC program.
Program reaches phase two
Since expanding in April 2023, VA staff have been eager to offer the program as another means of transportation for eligible Veterans. Jennifer Gerrib, assistant director for Malcom Randall VA in Gainesville, Florida, said, “I first heard about the program a year ago and I knew we had to have this program at our facility. I am very excited to have it here in Gainesville.”
From April to June 2023, VUHC completed more than 5,700 rides, making an immediate and tangible impact on Veterans’ access to care. “We are seeing an incredible impact already. Facilities in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Southern Nevada have already reached over 600 rides in those three months alone,” said Dr. Sandal.
Helping Veterans reach their VA care
Veterans continue to share positive feedback about their VUHC experiences. One Veteran at South Texas VA said, “The flexibility to request a ride when I am ready with a quick turnaround has been a game changer for me as an elderly Veteran.”
Ishmael Kwakwa, mobility manager for Pittsburgh VA, credited the early success of the program to teamwork, including his facility’s transportation staff who worked carefully to ensure a smooth roll out.
As the program expands, more Veterans across the country will have increased access to reliable transportation and fewer barriers to care. Eligible Veterans needing access to and from medical care may contact their primary Beneficiary Travel point of contact to learn more about VHA Uber-Health Connect Initiative at their facility.
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Why not ever in the Midwest
I see in the Florida map that as usual the panhandle is not included in the benefit.
With all the military bases and veterans in the panhandle, you would think we could get more support from the VA. I live in Panama City, FL and my VA hospital in is Biloxi, MS.
In true fashion the VA announces a new or in this case a expanded program VHA-Uber Health Connect Initiative and immediately link/URL it up with other VA transportation programs which have little or nothing to do with the subject matter.
Why not limit the content to subject matter what we call KISS or Keep It Simple ______
This program sounds like it will help a lot of veterans but you need to make sure it reaches those in remote areas that have little access to any healthcare.
I am an Airforce veteran. Also on the Board of Directors of Mollys Angels who have specialized helping Napa County residences offering transportation for and to medical appointments for more than 20 years. I believe it may be mutually beneficial to communicate further about helping veterans of all ages with transportation for medical appointments in Napa and Solano Counties at no cost for the veteran. Plus possibly other counties in the greater San Francisco areas. Therefore , please return this note with the appropriate the communication. Thank you,
Robert Gorham Wallin
I run a independent baseball league in Austin Texas, http://www.austintexasbaseball.com
And as a former Marine, 71-73 +, I would like if we could somehow open our league to our Veterans
We’ll have a Fall season starting Sept 10 to November 12 and again come Mar 24
Can we talk about this
Frank T, Commish
Semper Fi
I am very interested in the ride share . I have no license, and the LA appointments are too far . I live in the south cal desert . Can you send more on getting approved . Please add my e mail.
Call the VA hospital in your city and ask for the travel coordinator. Ask him/her do they have VA/Uber Connect. If they don’t call the White House hotline for VEterans 1-855-948-2311 and lodge a complaint. And file a complaint with Patient Advocacy.
Am service connected. Cannot get Uber to take me. Told am on border between west palm b a and Miami va so must drive myself 43 miles each way.
Same comment as Kay.
Is Virginia one of the 18 states?
You all ignore an entire section of Florida. What about the panhandle? There is no transportation in the area between Pensacola, Tallahassee, I10, and the Alabama border. That area is rural and heavily populated with aging veterans. How can I help?
You are so right. We in the forgotten area of the state are always left out.
We should be part of Alabama instead of Florida.
We would be Alabama’s Gold Cost.
Submitted a query at ask.va.gov (https://ask.va.gov/success/?query=A-20230817-1016771) to get someone to answer the questions in the comments – specifically to list the 18 states mentioned in the article.
Well, I came here to see which 18 states offered this service. They didn’t say.
Exactly! It’s literally the most important part of the story although I do have a querstion; what about the other 32? Also, Uber is a pretty messed up company with little to no transparency regarding anything.I work every gig platform under the sun besides Uber & Uber eats because they rejected me due to my arrest record, which is illegal, and one non violent misdemeanor that occurred way back in 2011 and is my only conviction. It’s bad enough having to use Hampton VAMC, but don’t hamstring me Uber! 90% sc just doesn’t cut it,not with this inflation.
Uber transportation for Veterans will help me to assist to my appointments.
I live on top of a mountain in Colorado. In 2017 the VA Board of Directors fell-out with UC Health Board of Directors (the nearest healthcare provider for 83 miles). The Travel Pay Department, does not pay, and hasn’t for a decade, so this program sounds great but are you actually going to drive 83 miles to pick me up and then drive me another 83 miles to the Aurora VA to my appointments and then drive me another 83 miles to take me home and then have the driver drive another 83 miles back to the Aurora VA (that would be a total of 332 miles in a day)? I’m not buying into your story. 1. It’s not my fault that the Board of Directors at the Aurora VA cannot get along with the Board of Directors at UC Health. 2. It’s not my fault that the Travel Pay Department at the Aurora VA cannot be bothered to do the job they are being paid to do and that no one (up to and including the President of the United States) cares that the Travel Pay Department is refusing to to their job. I have written letters to virtually everyone affiliated with the VA about this and virtually no one cares that the Travel Pay Department refuses to do their job.
This is not the first time that someone has cooked up some pie-in-the-sky scheme full of false promises that always falls flat on its face and simply wastes taxpayer dollars.
Is North Carolina in the program
Is there Uber transport in New Jersey
Is this available in Michigan?
It would have been really helpful if you would have printed the 18 States where this is now applicable??
Will VA provide transportation for caregivers of veterans upon being released from hospital
Is it in V A.
Brilliant idea now lets put it to work
Interesting article, However, it’s no t clear to me if this service is available in my area. How do I get this information?
Does transport service available in Gresham south carolima
I Robert Holland, started working at Beneficiary Travel at VASNHS in Las Vegas from 2008-2010. During that time VA used a couple of very expensive transportation companies to get disabled veterans to and from the VAMC. Some were transported as many as 90 miles at costs exceeding $1000.00 each way. The companies billed us from Las Vegas for two round trips. Being a 30-year USAF CMSgt, (retired) from Supply, and having driven limos in Las Vegas and being aware of the local transportation, I had a solution.
For the wheelchair bound veterans that did not require any special equipment, I recommended the use of handicap accessible taxi vans. Mesquite, Pahrump and Laughlin Nevada were pick-up points. I negotiated with two taxi companies who did business in those locations meet those needs. The Taxi companies were willing to transport the veterans to Las Vegas VAMC and return them to their respective homes which happened to be the base for the taxis. I even negotiated the normal waiting time fees out of the overall fee. They generally charged us approximately $500.00 for the total round trip transportation. That was over $1500.00 less than those Medical Vans was charging us. The taxi companies were still making a profit that exceeded their normal daily intake! It was a win-win situation! Of course, the Medical Coach companies were really pissed at me but, oh well, tough luck! Of course, all that happened before Uber and should still be a viable consideration for transporting veteran wheelchair users.
I also put a stop for veterans who were abusing the travel pay system, actual driving to Las Vegas from Arizona and collecting travel pay, when they were closer to the Phoenix Arizona VA and would have only gotten a fraction of the travel pay being reimbursed at Las Vegas. They too were upset that I read appropriate rules that disallowed them from filing those travel claims! They too, were milking the system. I think more automated systems have probably stopped these types of things from happening. If someone is reading this and they are realizing that someone is being paid travel pay from an area close to an operational VAMC, they should take a closer look and verify some sort of fraudulent activity isn’t happening!
Availiable Nevada (Las Vegas) ?
I’m really glad the VA is starting this program! There are so many appointments I need to get to and because I have MS and not able to drive, I can’t make it!
What are the 18 states involved with this? It would be nice to know if Alabama is one of them.
Thank you .
Excellent information, I will pass it on to fellow veterans.
What are the 18 states??
Is Colorado eligible for this program? Why publish this article without explains where it’s available?
Does the Uber work in California? I just received a letter stating that I will not get travel expenses for May 11, 2023. Not good. The Doctor Apt. on May 9th. was cancelled and changed to May 11th. Thanks for any help, Herbert Speas