Harshbarger Votes To Help Veterans Access Quality Healthcare and Benefits

Press Release

Today, Rep. Diana Harshbarger voted in support of S. 3373, as amended, the SFC Heath Robinson the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022, which passed through the House with bipartisan support.

The PACT Act is landmark legislation that will expand VA healthcare and benefits for many veterans who were not previously covered by VA, to include individuals exposed to radiation, burn pits, and dangerous toxins. The PACT Act builds on the comprehensive framework the VA has been piloting that streamlines benefits for future generations of veterans and survivors by establishing a framework for presumptions of service connection for toxic exposure. It also incorporates enhanced toxic exposure screening for veterans who use VA care and improves VA's toxic exposure questionnaire.

This legislation also ensures that at least once every 5 years veterans receive clinical toxic exposure screenings.

"One of my most profound responsibilities as East Tennessee's representative is to advocate for the brave men and women who have risked their lives for this great nation. When our service members join, they sign a contract with certain guarantees, and it's time that our federal government lives up to its end of the contract," said Congresswoman Harshbarger. "Our veterans deserve the transparency, efficiency, and expansion of meaningful benefits that this bill provides. We may not agree on much here in Washington, but we can all agree that veterans deserve our most sincere gratitude. I am proud to join my colleagues to pass this bill for our veterans."

The PACT Act was previously voted on in the House of Representatives without provisions to ensure that the VA would have the capacity to expand health care and benefits to toxic-exposed veterans without disrupting services or causing longer wait ties for care and compensation for all our veterans.

The revised version of the PACT Act improves upon transparency, provides flexibility, and helps maintain pace with scientific advancements surrounding toxic exposure.

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