Local group offers its transportation services to veterans

Texarkana area veterans needing health-related transportation might be able to get some help with bus and van service offered by the Ark-Tex Council of Governments.

ATCOG transportation manager Nancy L. Hoehn spoke to Texarkana Area Veterans Council members Thursday to see if there would be any interest and support for allowing the Council of Governments to take local and area military veterans to medical appointments in Shreveport and elsewhere.

“I want to make sure that we get the word out that we can help veterans with transport medical appointments,” she said. “My dad was a World War II veteran and my husband was a Marine.”

Hoehn said the U.S. Veterans Administration has the VA Coordinating Council for Transportation Accessibility, which has money to reimburse veterans who drive themselves to medical appointments. However, if federal law could be changed to allow ATCOG to transport veterans from areas surrounding Texarkana to medical appointments, this could relieve veterans of the stress of having to drive themselves. This would enable ATCOG to be reimbursed by the VA for the transportation cost.

“The Disabled American Veterans organization does their very best to do this right now, but they need volunteers, whereas we already have both professional drivers and vehicles as well as vehicles that are accessible to physically disabled veterans,” Hoehn said. “We could work with Shreveport on this and our intent would be to take them back and drop them off once their appointments are finished. This would take the pressure of the DAV if we are able to get the law changed.”

Tom McLeod, Veterans Council treasurer, said he liked the idea.

“It would be to our advantage and the veterans’ advantage if we promote this idea,” he said.

Hoehn added that the main idea is to help any veteran, especially those who are age 60 and over. She then told the council she would be available to speak again if they needed more details.

Council members agreed that it would be a good idea to have veterans call the ATCOG regarding the future transportation plans.

For more information, call ATCOG at 903-255-3553.

Staff photo by Evan Lewis Gary Roberts with Miller County checks to see which of the pylons are rotted out Thursday on the McKinney Bayou bridge. The county recently closed the bridge after discovering it was unsafe for travel.