The United States House of Representatives passed U.S. Representative Jeff Denham’s (R-Turlock) bill to extend crucial veterans service programs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act will extend a number of programs benefitting female veterans, homeless veterans, student veterans and other authorities given to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pertaining to health care, housing and transportation.

Locally, the bill benefits Central Valley vets by making grants to Veterans Service Organizations, which provide transportation to highly rural areas where many veterans live. Many valley vets travel 90 miles or more to Palo Alto for their appointments.

“A great deal of work remains to be done to make sure the VA can fulfill the needs of our veterans,” said Denham. “The programs this bill extends are providing care for some of our nation’s veterans most in need, like the homeless. It’s essential that we keep these programs from expiring, and I’m pleased to have the support of the House.”