{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sen-banks-introduces-veterans-sport-act-to-expand-va-coverage-for-recreational-prosthetics/", "Sen. Banks Introduces Veterans\u00a0SPORT\u00a0Act\u00a0to Expand VA Coverage for Recreational Prosthetics", "2025-11-14", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Jim Banks", "B001299", "www.banks.senate.gov", "banks", "https://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C, \u2013 Last week, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced the Veterans SPORT Act. This legislation would expand the VA medical benefits package to fully cover recreational prosthetics on a permanent basis. Senator Angus King (I-Maine.) is an original cosponsor of this bill.\n\nSenator Jim Banks: (R-Ind.): \u201cOur disabled veterans made tremendous sacrifices in defense of our nation, and they shouldn\u2019t have to navigate VA red tape to get the medical equipment they need to lead active lifestyles. The Veterans SPORT Act would make sure their prosthetics are always covered.\u201d\n\nThe bill is endorsed by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Wounded Warrior Project, Orthotic and Prosthetic Group of America, and National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics.\n\nKey Provisions of the Veterans SPORTAct are:\n\nAdd recreational prosthetics to the VA medical benefit package, ensuring they are always fully covered.\n\nFull text of the bill can be found here\n\nBackground:\n\nVeterans who play sports and exercise regularly report higher self-esteem, lower levels of depression and anxiety, and reduced stress. Physical activity is associated with reduced symptoms of PTSD. However, veterans with physical disabilities may need activity-specific prostheses and custom orthoses to participate in sports, and these devices are expensive. Current law restricts the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from providing recreational prosthetics unless they are considered a \u201cdirect and active component\u201d of medical treatment. As a result, prosthetics that support exercise beyond a prescribed rehabilitation plan are typically not covered.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "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://www.banks.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sen-banks-introduces-veterans-sport-act-to-expand-va-coverage-for-recreational-prosthetics/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7121050730347633, "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"}