New Bill Raises Hope for Amputee Veterans Craving Active Lifestyle
Congresswoman credits War Horse report for exposing VA barriers to prosthetics and treatment that critically disabled vets need ‘to live life to the fullest.’
September 24, 2024| Hope Hodge Seck
It took nearly two years of badgering for the Department of Veterans Affairs to approve amputee veteran Matt Brown’s prosthetic leg socket specialized for jiujitsu. It took only three months of practicing his cherished martial art for Brown to lose 18 pounds and regain a sense of himself.
Now, a key lawmaker on the House Veterans Affairs Committee has introduced a bill to make sure amputee veterans like Brown won’t face so many barriers to getting prosthetics for activities—from running and swimming to yard work—that most people take for granted.
The proposal from Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Iowa Republican, came one month after The War Horse published a story focusing on Brown and two other amputee veterans in their 40s who expressed frustration over bureaucracy and gaps in care they received from VA.
“The War Horse’s story underscores how important it is to ensure that critically disabled veterans have the tools they need to live active lifestyles as they please, to live life to the fullest,” Miller-Meeks, who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, said in a statement.
https://thewarhorse.org/amputee-veterans-hope-legislation-improves-access-va-care-prosthetics/
