A bill to promote the use of public lands and other outdoor spaces for medical treatment and therapy for veterans has been signed into law, opening the door to improved physical health and mental well-being for veterans who lacked access to outdoor recreation in the past.
The “Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act” was co-introduced into Congress by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nevada, in May, 2019, and signed by President Trump on Dec. 5.
It mandates the formation of an interagency task force to identify opportunities for veterans to use public lands for medical treatment and recreational therapies, to identify any barriers to using those opportunities, and to develop recommendations to facilitate the use of outdoor spaces by veterans for medical treatment and therapy.
Groups such as “Project Healing Waters” have long advocated outdoor adventures as an effective means to help further the recovery of injured and disabled veterans.
“The outdoors is critical to our Montana way of life and can help Montana veterans who are recovering from trauma and injuries they experienced in combat,” Daines said. “That’s why I’m glad my bipartisan bill promoting recovery and treatment programs on public lands for the benefit of Montana veterans has been signed into law.”
Daines’ bill has been endorsed by numerous veterans organizations and outdoor recreation groups including the American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Veteran’s Outdoor Advocacy Group, National Parks Conservation Association and the Sierra Club, among others.
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Veterans’ advocacy groups such as Project Healing Waters and Field of Dreams have long touted the physical and emotional benefits of getting veterans outdoors and active.
“Studies have shown—and veterans organizations strongly concur—that outdoor recreational activities can provide powerful therapeutic and healing benefits as well as camaraderie for veterans struggling with combat-related injuries or post-traumatic stress,” said New Jersey Congressman Chris Smith, a Republican who introduced the bill to the U.S. House of Representatives. “We should be thinking outside-the-box to discover as many ways as possible to help veterans, and opening up federal lands and removing barriers to access for remedial outdoor recreation is a no-brainer.”
The Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act was co-sponsored by 14 Democrats, nine Republicans and two Independent Congressional lawmakers, including Democratic Montana Sen. Jon Tester, ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“The COMPACT Act is now law, which means a number of additional bipartisan ideas will assist our efforts to curb the high rate of veteran suicide in Montana and across the country,” Tester said in an email. “The Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, of which I am a proud cosponsor, is an important part of this effort, creating a task force on outdoor recreation to enhance the lives of our nation’s heroes and connect more veterans with innovative, life-saving treatments.”
Veterans’ advocacy groups such as Project Healing Waters and Field of Dreams have long touted the physical and emotional benefits of getting veterans outdoors and active.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs now has 180 days to establish a ‘‘Task Force on Outdoor Recreation for Veterans,’’ whose duty it will be to identify opportunities for veterans to use public lands for medical treatment and recreational therapies, catalog any barriers to veterans taking advantage of those opportunities, and to develop a list of recommendations on how public lands and other outdoor spaces can be better used to facilitate preventative care, medical treatment and therapies for veterans.
The task force must include designated representatives from the federal departments of Veterans Affairs, Interior, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Defense, Homeland Security and the Army Corps of Engineers. They will have a year and a half to present a final report on their findings to Congress.
“Senators Daines and Cortez Masto’s legislation leverages the great outdoors to help with veterans’ recovery close to home,” said Jenn Dice, CEO, PeopleForBikes. “Our nation’s veterans deserve the best care available, and finding new opportunities to take advantage of public lands, parks and trails for better health is something we should all welcome.”