So Washington responded with a bill extending insurance “eligibility” to the people who fell ill from drinking this water. The words “medical care” did not appear anywhere in the bill. There were no provisions for who would provide care or where and when care could be attained. The afflicted were only granted additional insurance benefits.
Some veterans say the PACT Act is a step forward, but many are still being left behind.
The ad, which will run on connected TVs and on online platforms, features footage from Jon Stewart at a press conference where he hammered Senate Republicans for blocking the PACT Act, which would provide veterans with critical healthcare coverage. Johnson and Republicans voted against the bill in retaliation for Senators Schumer and Manchin announcing the Inflation Reduction Act.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough and Congressmember Salud Carbajal visited Santa Barbara’s Veterans Administration Clinic on Tuesday to talk with the medical staff about the new toxic exposure testing and treatment bill that President Biden signed on August 8. The cabinet secretary was touring clinics in Carbajal’s district — in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and the new Ventura clinic that opened on September 27 — to spread the word about the new program.
“It’s a fluid situation because they’re adding conditions and removing conditions or expanding conditions, sometimes on a weekly basis. So this is going to be a constant change,” he said, noting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is expected to start addressing claims at the start of 2023. “They’re still trying to work out the details, so as they work out the details, those will get passed down to the public.”