VA funding is earmarked for Tri-Cities
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, June 21st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate has passed the Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act of 2022. Included in the legislation is funding added by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) that would see $36 million for a new Veterans Administration medical clinic in the Tri-Cities area.
Murray said the money will allow the expansion of services that are currently offered at the Richland outpatient clinic and would reduce strains on the Jonathan M. Wainwright VA Medical Center in Walla Walla.
“This is going to be a huge game changer, especially for veterans in the Tri-Cities, many of whom have had to drive long distances just to be seen by a provider,” Murray said.
The bill where the funding was added is legislation to expand toxic-exposure coverage to more than 3.5 million veterans post Sept. 11 and to create a framework for coverage going forward. It passed the Senate 84 to 14 and now goes to a conference committee to work out differences with a House of Representatives version that had already passed.
