Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties are home to nearly 20,000 veterans whose service spans the time from World War II to the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The ultimate objective to solving the problem was to provide taxi vouchers and bus passes to bridge the gap for Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino County veterans struggling to access health care resources at the VA outpatient clinics in Santa Rosa, Ukiah and Clearlake.
A 2011 investigation of veterans’ needs revealed that a lack of affordable and accessible transportation was a key roadblock to veteran access to vital health care appointments. Low income and medically frail veterans were particularly impacted. Bus routes don’t cover large portions of our rural areas and, often, veterans are either unable to get to a bus stop or are physically challenged to spend two to three hours traveling each way due to multiple transfers. For many, taxis are often an unaffordable solution. PG&E served as the initial funder and additional funds were raised by a small group of Vietnam veterans and PG&E in 2014.
Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties are home to nearly 20,000 veterans whose service spans the time from World War II to the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. These veterans are realizing the medical issues of service-related injuries, as well as aging-related ailments. A lack of affordable and accessible transportation is a leading reason low income and medically frail veterans are unable to seek the care they deserve. As with anyone, their quality of life is seriously impacted by the lack of adequate and accessible health care. A General Accounting Office report reveals that, increasingly, veterans with service-connected disabilities desire to locate to rural areas. Further, rural veterans are most likely to access VA care if they’re living within five miles of a VA hospital or clinic—yet only 11 percent of veterans live within 25 miles of a VA hospital or clinic.
In 2013, a modest bus and taxi voucher program was set up through the local Red Cross office. In early 2014, as the vouchers ran out, the program was ramped up. PG&E donated $7,500, while a group of Vietnam veterans contributed more than $3,000 toward the efforts to support low-income veterans in Sonoma and Lake counties. When the local Red Cross was unable to continue overseeing the program, Community Housing Sonoma County, a local nonprofit that provides housing and services for the homeless and disabled, including homeless veterans in Sonoma County, stepped up to administer it.
In conjunction with the efforts of the voucher program, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors implemented a pilot program for 2015 that will let veterans ride the Sonoma County Transit bus system for free within the county. This will give the existing voucher program a broader opportunity to purchase other local bus and taxi vouchers and expand the program into Mendocino County this year.
The bus and taxi vouchers currently are available for Santa Rosa Transit, Lake County Transit and Mendocino County bus lines for veterans’ use to get to the local VA clinics. This has been funded through a local foundation grant of $20,000 for 2015 and 2016, plus donations from Century 21 North Bay Alliance and prior Marine contributions to cover any administrative costs.
Veterans can get bus passes at the VA clinics in Sonoma, Lake and (soon) Mendocino counties, as well as through the Vet Connect veterans group that meets each Tuesday morning at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building across from the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
Clients, Vet Connect volunteers and VA social workers state that this program greatly leverages their ability to help veterans efficiently and effectively.
The goal has been to streamline this process so our local veterans can have a fluid experience to be able get to their VA appointments, and establish the program so veterans can count on vouchers year after year.
A fund has been established at Community Foundation Sonoma County (250 D St. #205, Santa Rosa, CA 95404) under the name of Veterans Voucher Fund for monetary donations to continue and grow this program.
Ross Liscum is a local real estate broker and Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran who has been involved with this program since early 2014. You can reach him at RossLiscum@gmail.com.
