Sinema Holds Tele-Town Hall with Arizona Veterans to Discuss New Benefits for Veterans from the PACT Act Law

For an MP3 soundbite, click HERE.

More than 9,600 Arizonans attended Sinema's tele-town hall
Sinema was instrumental in passing the PACT Act - bipartisan legislation strengthening veterans' access to critical health care and benefits

WASHINGTON - Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema - a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee - held a tele-town hall with more than 9,600 Arizonans to answer questions from Arizona veterans on the enhanced health care benefits provided to them and their families in the bipartisan PACT Act law. Chris Norton, Director of the Phoenix VA Regional Office, and Michael Fisher, Director of the Veteran Integrated Services Network (VISN) 22, also participated in the tele-town hall.

"Arizona veterans sacrifice so much in service to our country, and it's our obligation to ensure they can access the care and benefits they've earned. I'll continue working to oversee implementation of our new PACT Act law, help Arizona veterans access care following toxic exposure, and ensure the VA remains accountable," said Sinema.

Sinema heard directly from Arizona veterans - many of whom were exposed to toxic substances while deployed and have since experienced difficulty in accessing the care they have earned.

At least 1 million of the 3.5 million post-9/11 combat veterans exposed to toxic substances were unable to access VA care. Sinema's legislation corrected this harm by increasing the period of eligibility for VA health care for post-9/11 combat veterans from five to 10 years after being discharged. The PACT Act law additionally created a one-year open enrollment period for post-9/11 combat veterans who did not enroll during their initial five years after being discharged.

Locally focused and responsive to Arizona veterans' needs, Sinema and her Veteran Advisory Council empower veterans to build better lives, address mental health challenges, support military families, and strengthen access to VA health care.

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