{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-local-veterans-celebrate-one-year-anniversary-historic-expansion", "Davids, Local Veterans Celebrate One-Year Anniversary of Historic Expansion of Veterans Health Care", "2023-08-08", "2023", "2023-08", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "LENEXA, KS - Today, Representative Sharice Davids celebrated the one-year anniversary of the bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act, a Davids-supported law that expands Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care eligibility to five million American veterans who were exposed to toxic airborne hazards while deployed. Davids was joined by local veterans and VA health care professionals for a conversation on the PACT Act\u2019s impact in Kansas and how to encourage veterans to continue applying for benefits.\n\nDavids also released a report with new findings on how the PACT Act has expanded health care eligibility for Kansas veterans. Highlights include:\n\n1,025 veterans in Kansas\u2019 Third District are receiving expanded health care benefits thanks to the PACT Act.\n\n408,581 PACT Act claims have been completed, meaning an estimated 4.6 million more veterans are eligible for benefits but have not applied for or received coverage.\n\nKansas City VA (KCVA) has provided 26,385 total toxic exposure screenings, with 44 percent finding at least one potential toxic exposure.\n\n\u201cKansas veterans, including those in my own family, have made countless sacrifices to serve our nation, and the least we can do is ensure they have the necessary care through VA when they get home,\u201d said Davids. \u201cThe bipartisan PACT Act is the most extensive expansion of veterans' benefits ever and I was proud to work together with Republicans and Democrats to get it across the finish line. Now that we\u2019ve reached the one-year mark, we\u2019re celebrating the impact the law has had on our community while also encouraging veterans to continue applying for these life-saving benefits.\u201d\n\nImage\n\n\u201cI'm very grateful that the House and the Senate were able to come together to support this monumental legislation that is now law,\u201d said Rick McKenna, Commander, Veterans of Foreign (VFW) Post 7397, Lenexa. \u201cRepresentatives from both sides of the aisle like Ms. Davids realized that veterans issues are not a Democrat or Republican issue, it's an American issue. The passage of the PACT Act opened the door to thousands of veterans like me who were previously denied benefits for many years are now able to receive care and benefits they earned long ago. I say, \u2018Thank You\u2019 for all those that made this possible.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn the year since President Biden signed the PACT Act into law, VA Medical Centers throughout Kansas and Missouri have screened over 137,000 Veterans for service-connected exposure to burn pits and airborne hazards, pesticides, oil well fires, Agent Orange, radiation, contaminated water, and other toxic substances,\u201d said Dr. Ahmad Batrash, Chief of Staff for Kansas City VA (KCVA). \u201cBased on their responses to the screening, approximately 61,000 of those Veterans have been encouraged to file a related claim with VA for potential benefits under the PACT Act. Kansas City VA Medical Center is very appreciative of the ongoing support from Representative Davids in promoting our PACT Act outreach events and in continuing to support us as we work to ensure all eligible Veterans in Kansas\u2019 Third Congressional District receive the care they earned and deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cWounded Warrior Project was proud to partner with other Veteran Service Organizations to advocate and champion the PACT ACT,\u201d said Brent Whitten, local veteran involved with Wounded Warriors Project and Deputy Director of Operations for Kansas Department of Children and Families. \u201cWe are grateful for Representative Davids' support of the Veteran/Warrior Community and truly making a difference in the lives of others.\u201d\n\nToday, Davids, whose mother served in the Army for 20 years, was joined by local representatives from the KCVA, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Wounded Warriors Project, Navy League of the United States, and Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs. Last year, after appearing with Kansas City-area veterans and veterans\u2019 advocate Jon Stewart to urge passage of the PACT Act, Davids joined local veterans at the Lenexa VFW to celebrate this critical legislation being signed into law.\n\nThroughout history, the United States military deployed burn pits in bases around the world to dispose of garbage, plastics, and medical waste. These pits released toxic emissions, and those exposed for prolonged periods of time could develop cancers, asthma, and other life-threatening respiratory illnesses. While data suggests five million military personnel may have been exposed after September 11, 2001, many of those veterans had to prove to VA that their illness is connected to their service and were subsequently turned down treatment. The Honoring our PACT Act, which was signed into law on August 10, 2022, removes that burden and expands coverage for toxic-exposed veterans. Along with authorizing $40 million in federal funding to expand outpatient services at the Kansas City VA Hospital, it:\n\nExpands VA health care eligibility to Post-9/11 combat veterans, which includes more than 5 million toxic-exposed veterans;\n\nCreates a framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure;\n\nAdds 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to VA\u2019s list of service presumptions, including hypertension;\n\nExpands presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure;\n\nStrengthens federal research on toxic exposure;\n\nImproves the VA\u2019s resources and training for toxic-exposed veterans; and\n\nSets the VA and veterans up for success by investing in VA claims processing, the VA\u2019s workforce, and VA health care facilities.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/davids-local-veterans-celebrate-one-year-anniversary-historic-expansion"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9105780627578497, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}