A bill written by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., passed the Senate on 98-0 vote Thursday, locking in benefits for rural veterans including those living across Montana.

The Rural Veterans Health Care Improvement Act will now be combined with a similar bill in the House before going to President Obama for his signature.

As written, Tester's bill does a number of things. It authorizes the VA to work with community mental health centers in rural areas when providing care to vets of Iraq and Afghanistan, and it provides finan-cial assistance to families who care for critically injured vets.

The bill also authorizes the VA to award grants to service organizations that drive vets to medical ap-pointments, and it directs the VA to establish Indian health coordinators to provide better care in areas with large American Indian populations.

"We had a great day today," Tester told the Independent Record after Thursday's vote. "I feel very, very good about it."

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com