VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VCB)

Mr. Fred Lane the Mobility Manager for VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System poses for a photo next to one of the three new wheelchair accessible vehicles used to transport Veterans to and from their VA appointments. Veterans Transportation Service drivers transport Veterans from areas in and around the Texas Coastal Bend cities of Laredo, Corpus Christi, McAllen and Harlingen. An area that covers more than 500 square miles of the Lone Star State. (LUIS LOZA GUTIERREZ/ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs image for public release)

HARLINGEN, Texas -- The VA Veterans Transportation Service (VTS) offers Veterans many travel solutions to and from their VA health care facilities. VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VATVCBHCS) is hoping to improve its local program and offer more travel solutions on to Veterans thanks to the addition of three new vehicles to their existing fleet.

VATVCBHCS purchased three Ford Transit-350s vans approximately 10 months ago. They arrived on October of this year and were immediately put into service. The three new vans bring the number of vehicles dedicated to transporting Veterans to their appointment to a total of seven.

“Having these new wheelchair accessible vehicles has drastically improved our Veterans Transportation Program,” said Mr. Fred Lane the Mobility Manager for VATVCBHCS. “The fact we have more vehicles now means we have greater availability, and we can respond more quickly to Veterans that request our service.”

Mr. Lane emphasized this is very important given the fact that VTS drivers transport Veterans from areas in and around the Texas Coastal Bend cities of Laredo, Corpus Christi, McAllen and Harlingen. An area that covers more than 500 square miles of the Lone Star State.

Dubbed the “Ultimate People Mover,” by some car enthusiasts and experts, the vans feature a 3.7-Liter V6 Engine, that according to Car and Driver magazine produces an estimated 275 horsepower with 260 lb-ft of torque. But what does that mean for the folks at the VA.

“It means that we not only have vehicles with better engines that can take more wear and tear because they are new and built to handle more of the different road conditions out there, but we have less chances of having any future problems transporting our Veterans,” said Homero Martinez III the Associate Director for VATVCBHCS.

The wheelchair accessible vans have a towing capacity between 3,800 to 6,200 lbs.


 

Mr. Fred Lane the Mobility Manager for VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System poses for a photo next to one of the three new wheelchair accessible vehicles used to transport Veterans to and from their VA appointments. Dubbed the “Ultimate People Mover,” by some car enthusiasts and experts, the Ford Transit-350 vans feature a 3.7-Liter V6 Engine, with a towing capacity between 3,800 to 6,200 lbs. (LUIS LOZA GUTIERREZ/ U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs image for public release)

 

“The towing capacity allows us to better accommodate our Veterans who use electric mobility scooters, which can sometimes weigh hundreds of pounds themselves,” said Mr. Martinez. “That along with the 246.7 cubic feet of space provides a less crowded and more comfortable ride for passengers.”

Although the vans engine, towing capacity and roominess are a plus, Martinez believes the vehicles’ VetRide feature benefit Veterans the most.

VetRide is a hosted Veterans Transportation Program platform created by Kevadiya Inc. for managing Veteran's trip requests to and from a VA healthcare facility.

“In my opinion this is a great feature because the platform allows Veterans to register for VetRide services, request a ride and receive notifications about status of their rides,” said Martinez. “This mobile friendly platform allows Veterans to take full control and manage their account from their desktop as well as smart devices.”

Veterans can use the Self Service Portal on the World Wide Web to request a ride to a VA appointment and view the scheduled time for their ride and a clock counting down the time for their next appointment.

“VetRide services are available to all eligible veterans free of charge,” said Mr. Martinez who is U.S. military Veteran himself.

Veterans who are eligible for VA health care benefits and have a VA-authorized appointment are automatically eligible for transportation through the VTS program.

“Veterans living in remote and rural areas to those immobilized due to disease or disability can rest assured that the Veterans Transportation Program is here to serve them in getting the help they need,” said Mr. Martinez. “Thanks to the addition of these new vehicles we will not only be able to ensure our Veterans have adequate transportation to and from their appointments, but enjoy a better experience getting there.”

The acquisition of the new wheelchair-accessible vehicles under the operational control of the Veterans Transportation Service along with implementation of the VetRide online platform directly support the Department of Veterans Affairs efforts to modernize systems and improve timeliness regarding the care and services provided to our nation’s Veterans.