Deluzio Secures Weekly Van Transport for Veterans to VA Appointments in Pittsburgh
After months of advocating, Congressman Deluzio announces a 90-day shuttle pilot project will begin February 6, 2024
CENTER TOWNSHIP, PA — Today, Iraq War veteran and Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that he has secured free, weekly van transport for veterans to get between the Beaver County VA Clinic and the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center on University Drive in Pittsburgh (Oakland). This win comes after close to a year of Congressman Deluzio’s advocacy to the Department of Veterans Affairs and thanks to the valuable input from members of Rep. Deluzio’s Veterans Advisory Board.
“Since even before my time in Congress, I have heard complaints from Beaver County veterans about difficulty getting transportation to their VA medical appointments at the VA University Drive campus in Oakland. I have been determined to help,” said Rep. Deluzio. “Today, I am proud to announce I was able to get VA to launch a free, weekly shuttle pilot program between the Beaver County VA Clinic and University Drive in Oakland. I am thrilled to deliver this critical service to thousands of my fellow Western PA veterans and help them get the care they earned.”
“I am thrilled that thanks to the leadership from Congressman Deluzio veterans in my area will now have access to this shuttle service between Beaver County and the University Drive VA Hospital,” said Bart Farzati, USAF veteran, Disabled American Veterans volunteer, and Rep. Deluzio Veterans Advisory Board member. “As someone who has been volunteering for years to help get veterans to their medical appointments, I know this service is badly needed on a permanent basis.”
The shuttle is free and available to all veterans who use the VA for their healthcare. The pilot program will run every Tuesday beginning February 6th this year for the course of the 90-day pilot program.
The ADA accessible vans will depart the Beaver County VA clinic in Rochester (300 Brighton Ave, Rochester, PA 15074) at 7:30am for the University Drive campus to arrive in time for 9:00am appointments. There will be a designated space for veterans to wait for their appointments throughout the morning. The van will leave University Drive at 2:00pm to return to Beaver County at approximately 3:30pm. Veterans who want to use the shuttle should therefore schedule appointments between 9:00am-1:00pm on Tuesdays beginning February 6, 2024.
The phone reservation system to book a shuttle seat will be fully functional beginning Tuesday, January 23rd. Starting tomorrow, veterans can call the Beaver County Outpatient Clinic at (724) 709-6005 and select Option 2 to schedule their shuttle service by speaking with or leaving a message with Annie. Veterans with additional transportation questions can also call the transportation dispatch office of the VA at (412) 822-1633. Space is limited, so veterans should call to save their space on this Tuesday shuttle as soon as possible.
Congressman Deluzio’s office wants to emphasize that the more this shuttle program is utilized during this pilot period, the more likely it will become a permanent service to the region’s veterans. His congressional office is happy to help, and veterans with questions or feedback on the shuttle can call Congressman Deluzio’s office to make their voices heard: (412) 344-5583.
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