As part of the recently passed Veterans COMPACT Act, the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act makes therapy via outdoor recreation more readily available to military veterans.
A broad legislative effort to better serve military veterans was recently signed into law by the president. And within that legislation is a concerted plan to better veterans’ access to therapeutic outdoor programs.
The Veterans COMPACT Act creates new channels of communication between veterans and the VA, implements programs and policies for better health care, and focuses on transition assistance, suicide prevention among veterans, women’s reproductive health care, and more.
And as part of this effort, the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act creates an interagency task force between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Its focus will be to identify opportunities for therapeutic care via recreation on public lands.
The bipartisan bill was introduced by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.)
“The passage of this bill is great news for Nevada’s veteran communities, who are increasingly turning to outdoor recreation as a way to prioritize their physical health and mental well-being,” said Senator Cortez Masto.
“Spending time in Nevada’s magnificent outdoor landscapes can be therapeutic, and this bill will make it easier for veterans who have experienced trauma to get the resources they need to heal and benefit from pristine public spaces in Nevada and across America.”
The act calls for the chairpersons to submit a report to Congress on the Task Force’s preliminary findings not later than 180 days after the date on which the Task Force is established.