Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers the Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE) program that supplies adaptive equipment to allow veterans with disabilities to safely operate, enter, and exit their vehicle. In 2023, Congress passed legislation to include certain vehicle adaptations in the VA's medical benefits package to ensure all catastrophically disabled veterans are able to access vehicle modifications. The list of adaptations that could be provided to veterans inadvertently restricted the program to the specific items listed in the legislation, which was not Congress’s intent. 

The Automotive Support Services to Improve Safe Transportation or ASSIST Act (H.R. 1364) clarifies the equipment that can be provided to disabled veterans as part of the medical benefits package, which provides greater flexibility regarding what can be classified as “adaptive equipment.”

PVA Position:

Congress must pass the ASSIST Act (H.R. 1364) to ensure that veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders have access to needed adaptive equipment for their vehicles.