{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases/part-america-250-week-davids-visits-kansas-city-va-highlights-impact-pact-act", "As Part of America 250 Week, Davids Visits Kansas City VA, Highlights Impact of PACT Act on Veterans\u2019 Care", "2026-06-15", "2026", "2026-06", "Democrat", "House", "KS", "Sharice Davids", "D000629", "davids.house.gov", "davids", "https://davids.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, as part of America 250 Week, Representative Sharice Davids toured the Kansas City VA Medical Center to highlight the impact of the bipartisan PACT Act on veterans\u2019 healthcare access, exposure screenings, and benefits delivery.\n\n\u201cAmerica 250 is about recognizing the people and service that have shaped our country; and that all must begin with our veterans,\u201d said Davids. \u201cThe bipartisan PACT Act is making a real difference in Kansas, helping more veterans get screened, treated, and connected to the benefits they earned after toxic exposure while deployed. I\u2019ll keep working to make sure we deliver on that promise.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe PACT Act is a major victory for veterans, finally recognizing conditions like allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis as presumptive tied to toxic exposure,\u201d said Rick McKenna, KS VFW Junior Vice Commander and Air Force veteran. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for leaders like Representative Sharice Davids, who voted to pass this historic law and ensure veterans receive the care and benefits we earned. This legislation is already making a real difference for veterans like me.\u201d\n\nDuring her visit, Davids met with Ryan Locascio, Assistant Director of the Kansas City VA, and Rick McKenna, KS VFW Junior Vice Commander and Air Force veteran, to discuss implementation of the PACT Act and ongoing outreach efforts to veterans across the region.\n\nThe PACT Act has provided approximately $40 million in funding to the Kansas City VA to expand care and outreach. At the facility, 76 percent of enrolled veterans have been screened for exposure \u2014 above the national average of 72 percent \u2014 and among more than 45,000 veterans screened, 48 percent have reported at least one exposure concern, consistent with national trends.\n\nThe Kansas City VA has also expanded its capacity with two environmental health clinicians certified in Military Environmental Medicine, increased outreach efforts in partnership with local veteran\u2019s service organizations to improve access and awareness and began offering Military Environmental Exposure Assessments in 2025.\n\nNationally, more than 2.36 million veterans and survivors have completed PACT Act-related claims between August 2022 and March 2026, reflecting the scale of demand and the law\u2019s ongoing impact in connecting veterans to earned benefits.\n\nDavids has worked hard to ensure Kansas veterans are supported after returning home from active duty. She passed bipartisan legislation to help veterans succeed when starting a small business and pushed back on extreme attempts to gut the VA.", 1, "2026-06-27T21:44:12Z", "2026-06-27T22:11:26Z"]], "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/part-america-250-week-davids-visits-kansas-city-va-highlights-impact-pact-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7829391397535801, "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"}