March 01, 2022

Duckworth Meets with the Illinois Chapter of Disabled American Veterans and Emphasizes her Commitment to our Nation’s Heroes

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and a Purple Heart recipient who served 23 years in the Reserve Forces, today met with several members of the Illinois Chapter of Disabled American Veterans. During the video call, Duckworth and the group discussed accessible healthcare for Veterans exposed to toxic substances, mental health support for Veterans and services for disabled Veterans, as well as Duckworth’s legislative wins and continued efforts to improve quality of life for Veterans and their families.

“I know firsthand the difficulties disabled Veterans go through, and I appreciate the work organizations like the Illinois Chapter of Disabled American Veterans do to support the community,” said Duckworth. “Today’s call was good chance for me to thank them for their service to our nation and hear how I can continue to advocate for them and their loved ones on the federal level. I will keep working to support our Veterans in Illinois, in every corner of our great state and across the country.”

Duckworth has continued her commitment to supporting our nation’s Veterans throughout this pandemic. In June 2020, she and colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to the Departments of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) urging the Administration to take immediate action to help ensure servicemembers and Veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances receive the care they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2021, a Duckworth-authored provision that would prohibit the use of burn pits unless explicitly waived by the U.S. Secretary of Defense for extraordinary reasons was included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

In January this year, Duckworth and colleagues sent a bipartisan and bicameral letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an evaluation of appropriate coverage of assistive technologies provided to patients who experience amputation or live with limb differences, specifically highlighting the Veteran community.

-30-