FTA awarded $64 million in competitive grants to help veterans, military families, and others connect to jobs and services in their communities by improving access to local transportation options. All funded projects are displayed, with descriptions, on the map based on the location of service. For more information, read the news release.

Overview

The Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative (VTCLI) is an innovative, federally coordinated partnership that will make it easier for U.S. veterans, active service members, military families, and others to learn about and arrange for locally available transportation services that connect them with work, education, health care, and other vital services in their communities. Drawing on existing federal resources, and in consultation with advocates for veterans and people with disabilities, projects are being funded in urban, suburban, and rural communities around the nation to strengthen and promote "one-call" information centers and other tools that conveniently "connect the dots" as never before. As a result, these deserving men and women and their families may quickly and conveniently turn to trusted sources who have been specially trained to help them access local transportation options and other support services, ranging from workforce training to food pantry locations.

Who Benefits?

Veterans and military families are a traditionally under-served population when it comes to transportation access, so they're an important focal point. However, the VTCLI grant program is structured to fund projects that will potentially benefit anyone living within the jurisdiction of a grant recipient, with or without veteran status. In particular, the initiative aligns with the Administration's implementation of the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision, which addresses the rights of people with disabilities to live independently. It also reflects the President's commitment to assist economically disadvantaged workers and people who need access to health care.

Who Is Responsible?

The initiative is developed and supported by members of the federal Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility, a federal inter-agency council established in 2004. Council member participants include the Departments of Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Labor, and Health and Human Services. The Department of Defense and over a dozen leading veteran service organizations are also involved. The VTCLI grant program is managed and administered by FTA.