Injured veterans returning home to the Tampa, Fla., area may have one less thing to worry about, thanks to Ride-Away’s “Vans of Valor” program.
Because injured vets can experience long waits for accessible vehicle grants to be processed and approved by Veterans Affairs, Ride-Away — a mobility dealer headquartered in Londonderry, N.H., but with 11 East Coast locations — is providing free use of an appropriate vehicle to qualifying vets until they can take delivery of their own adapted vehicles.
“The Vans of Valor program was designed to assist veterans in obtaining suitable transportation so that they can access their local communities and neighborhoods again and begin their process of recovery and healing a little more quickly,” says Mark Lore, president/CEO of Ride-Away. “We appreciate the opportunity that our Vans of Valor program offers to be of assistance to those who have already served us all so selflessly.”
The program includes a consultation with one of Ride-Away’s adaptive automotive sales experts, who works with the veteran to determine what kind of van and mobility equipment would best meet his or her needs. The modified vehicle is then delivered by Ride-Away to the vet’s home.
Lore says the veteran can use the van free of charge — Ride-Away pays the costs of maintenance, insurance, registration and adaptive equipment — until his or her own adaptive vehicle is ready to roll. The Vans of Valor program is so complete, Lore notes, that “The only thing the veteran would need to pay for is fuel.”
For more information on the Vans of Valor program, visit Ride-Away on the Web at www.ride-away.com, or call (888) RIDE-AWAY.