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Rep Smith’s bill addresses veterans recovery, recreation and therapy

WASHINGTON, DC – Supporters of Rep. Chris Smith’s (NJ-04) legislation, H.R. 2435, the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, converged on Capitol Hill this week to advocate for the bill, which will provide for increased access to federal lands for the purposes of veterans’ medical therapy.

H.R. 2435 would empower a newly created task force to identify barriers veterans face when accessing public lands for treatment, and provide within one year recommendations to Congress on ways to eliminate those barriers. The legislation would help expose barriers to be overcome and new opportunities to be pursued so that public lands are more available for recreational activities, such as hiking, backpacking, fishing, horseback riding, rafting, and biking, which have proven to advance recuperation and healing. Ultimately HR 2435 will supplement the VA’s major medical care programs with outdoor recreational therapy for military veterans. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: September 12th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Chris Smith, Press Release, Veterans | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Rep Smith’s bill addresses veterans recovery, recreation and therapy