Shaheen Votes in Favor of Historic Veterans Legislation, Sends it to President's Desk

Press Release

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement after voting in favor of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 (the PACT Act). The bipartisan bill passed the Senate with a vote of 86 to 11. The House of Representatives previously approved the legislation, which will now be sent to the President's desk to be signed into law.

"This bipartisan legislation puts veterans first by expanding access to services they need to heal and recover, while also making urgently needed improvements to address bureaucratic challenges within the claims process," said Shaheen. "Especially with regard to the serious health ailments associated with toxic exposure, this legislation is necessary for our post-9/11 veterans who face different service-related health concerns than the generations before them. I'm glad to see Congress get this done and look forward to the President signing it into law."

Specifically, the PACT Act will expand health care for Post-9/11 combat veterans, create a framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure, expand the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) list of service presumptions and improve resources to support the VA's claims processing. A one-pager on the bill is available here.

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