The U.S. Senate passed an amendment on July 20, that seeks to help American service members and veterans receive advanced prostheses more quickly. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) introduced Senate Amendment (S.Amdt.) 575 and filed it to the Fiscal Year 2012 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill (H.R. 2055). The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 97-2.
The amendment requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to send Congress a comprehensive plan detailing a strategy and timetable to make available to injured service members and veterans the next generation of advanced prosthetics. Under S.Amdt. 575, the Secretary will be required to submit a report within 90 days to the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations, Armed Services, and Veterans’ Affairs. The report will address the challenges that delay the delivery of these prosthetic devices to service members and veterans.
“Our Wounded Warriors have sacrificed so much, and they deserve the very best available care and treatment for their injuries,” said Ayotte, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We must not allow bureaucratic obstacles and red tape to deprive service members and veterans of the next generation [of] prosthetics that will dramatically improve their lives.”
