Washington- On Wednesday, Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds introduced H.R.3400, the Territorial Response and Access to Veterans' Essential Lifecare Act (TRAVEL Act of 2025). This landmark legislation aims to improve healthcare access, including specialized medical services, for veterans residing in U.S. territories, particularly those in the Northern Mariana Islands and other underserved areas.

"When I speak with veterans back home, they share the immense challenges they face in accessing the medical care they need," said Congresswoman King-Hinds. "Too often, veterans are forced to travel thousands of miles for basic care, while the federal government fails to provide sufficient support. Our nation's heroes deserve better. This bill is designed to ease their burden by bringing more VA physicians and specialists to our communities here in the Marianas."

The TRAVEL Act of 2025 addresses the critical lack of accessible veterans' healthcare in the smaller, remote areas like the CNMI. The legislation empowers the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to assign traveling VA physicians to aid underserved communities, providing them with much-needed medical services. These physicians will receive a travel bonus and will be assigned to serve select regions for up to one year, helping to provide a sustained presence in the community.

House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-IL) praised Congresswoman King-Hinds for introducing the TRAVEL Act of 2025.

"Health care access for the men and women who have served means meeting veterans where they live to deliver timely, quality care. But for veterans living in hard-to-reach places like our territories, that care isn't always there," said Chairman Bost. "I want to thank my colleague, Rep. Kim King-Hinds, for addressing this issue head on and leading the TRAVEL Act to get VA physicians to these parts of the world to provide veterans with greater access to essential healthcare services. This is a vitally important issue that makes a real difference in veterans' day to day lives and we must think outside the box to address it - the TRAVEL Act would do that."

Congresswoman King-Hinds added, "H.R.3400 is one of many important steps in our ongoing effort to improve support for our veterans. I am eager to move this bill forward through the Veterans Affairs Committee and see it brought to the House Floor for full consideration. I would also like to thank Representatives Moylan and Radewagen for cosponsoring this bill."