Working for Veterans' Benefits

Floor Speech

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Ms. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the historic PACT Act. Thanks to this critical legislation, we are closer today than ever to ensuring every single veteran has access to the exceptional care and benefits they deserve.

In less than 2 years, I am happy to report, as my colleagues have also reported, 1 million PACT Act claims have been granted to more than 800,000 veterans and survivors across the country.

As the proud daughter of an Air Force veteran and a doctor, it is especially meaningful to recognize this milestone today.

We make a sacred promise to all of our Nation's veterans that after bravely serving our country in uniform, we will care for them when they return home. That is why we can and must do more to ensure that no veteran faces financial or logistical barriers to accessing the medical treatment and benefits they are owed.

Crucially, the PACT Act included the Camp Lejeune Justice Act, our bipartisan bill to enable servicemembers from Camp Lejeune who were exposed to toxic chemicals to pursue long-overdue justice in court.

This legislation, unfortunately, did not go quite far enough, and too many veterans continue to face unacceptable barriers to accessing the remedies.

I recently introduced, with Congressman Greg Murphy, who is also a doctor, the bipartisan Camp Lejeune Justice Corrections Act to make additional reforms, including capping attorney's fees, expanding jurisdiction to alleviate the large backlog of cases our courts are facing, and clarifying the right to a jury trial.

Today and every day, let's continue the fight to support our courageous veterans, servicemembers, and their families.

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