There are currently more than 25 million veterans in the United States.  If you or a family member is a disabled veteran, there are some exciting new transportation options available to you. Vmi New England, a leader in the wheelchair accessible vehicle market, is proud to offer veterans accessible vehicles with eligible benefits.  Veterans or their family members may be eligible for some important Veteran’s Administration benefits regarding adaptive vehicles.

The VA offers veterans a one-time vehicle grant of $18,900 (as of October 1, 2011).  This is available for 100% service-connected veterans, and can be applied one time towards a modified wheelchair van.  In addition, 100% service-connected veterans are also eligible for one handicap vehicle conversion every two years or two conversions every four years. VMi New England and Automotive Innovations offers many wheelchair accessible vehicles to choose from when using your VA benefits.

There are some advantages to using these Veteran’s Administration benefits.  Those who trade in their vehicles every two years usually have fewer out-of-pocket expenses getting a new accessible vehicle than those who trade later on.  It is important to know that the VA uses a depreciation schedule for pre-owned wheelchair vans when considering reimbursement.

The VA program for handicap accessible vehicles could allow you to purchase a two year old Dodge Grand Caravan with less than 24,000 miles, a new VMI conversion package with a vehicle trade-in, for absolutely no additional payments required.  This is just one example of how the program can work for you.

In addition to these VA benefits, veterans are also often eligible for reimbursement for OEM equipment included in the vehicle.  Some of these options include air conditioning, power windows, and power locks.  These options could total as much as $3,000, as a driver set-up or $780 as a passenger set-up.

The Service for those who Served Program was established by Jim Sanders to offer free operational maintenance services on adaptive equipment for veterans. How the Service for those who Served Program works is every six months, any disabled Veteran who has received automotive adaptive equipment funded by the Veteran’s Administration may bring their handicap van to Automotive Innovations Bridgewater, MA location for a free accessibility and maintenance check.

To learn more about Veteran benefits and to see which wheelchair accessible vehicle works best for you, please contact us.