WASHINGTON, DC - The House passed two bipartisan amendments led by U.S. Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ) to improve health care access and culturally competent care for tens of thousands of Native American veterans living in rural communities across the United States. The amendments passed unanimously as part of the Fiscal Year 2027 Veterans Affairs funding bill.
"Native Americans have served in the military at higher rates than other communities, yet many still face unnecessary barriers to accessing the VA benefits and care they have rightly earned," Stanton said. "These common-sense, bipartisan amendments provide a necessary increase in funding that will make VA health care more accessible and address gaps in culturally competent care."
The first amendment redirects $5 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Rural Health to support mobile clinics and targeted clinical staffing for Tribal veterans in rural and underserved communities. The funding aims to address the geographic barriers many Native American veterans face when seeking care. Veterans living on sovereign Tribal lands outside the Phoenix metro area can face drives of up to four hours to reach the Carl T. Hayden Phoenix VA Medical Center.