SALEM – Grant County is among eight Eastern Oregon counties that will receive $45,000 each to help expand transportation services for military veterans living in rural areas.

The funds are thanks to a $400,000 grant from the VA and the White House Rural Council, designed to help veterans in several states have better access to and from VA medical centers and other health care facilities.

The other Oregon counties are Baker, Gilliam, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Wallowa and Wheeler.

Eric Belt, administrator of veterans services for the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, said, “The grant will specifically address and improve transportation concerns so Oregon veterans may better receive VA health care and services.”

For thousands of veterans in rural Oregon, the challenges of accessing the VA’s health care system stem from a lack of transportation to one of the three major medical centers across the state.

According to information from the ODVA, about one quarter of the 22 million veterans in the U.S. live in rural areas, and a majority are enrolled in the VA health care system.

For more information about this and other Oregon veterans news, visit http://www.oregondva.com/.