Feenstra Votes to Provide Veterans Exposed to Toxic Substances with Highest Quality Healthcare

Statement

Last night, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) voted for, and the U.S. House of Representatives passed, the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. This legislation provides veterans who served overseas and were exposed to toxic hazards like burn pits, radiation, and Agent Orange, with the quality healthcare and benefits they deserve.

"Our veterans are heroes who deserve our deepest gratitude for their service to our nation," said Rep. Feenstra. "Veterans who were exposed to toxic substances while protecting our values and fighting for our freedoms deserve the highest quality healthcare and benefits that our grateful nation can provide them. I am proud to support this bipartisan legislation that honors our solemn commitment to always stand with our veterans and their families."

Earlier this year, Feenstra voted for the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022, which included an amendment he sponsored that requires the Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office -- whose creation is authorized as part of this comprehensive package -- to include the Veterans Crisis Line as an entity to provide rapid, post-crisis follow-up care to veterans who need it.

Feenstra was also an original cosponsor of the Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021, which requires the Department of Veterans Affairs, during FY 2022, to establish and maintain three new centers of the Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) program in rural and underserved areas that need additional resources for veteran mental healthcare. It further requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study and report on whether the VA has sufficient resources to serve rural veterans who need mental healthcare that is more intensive than traditional outpatient therapy.

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