House Passes Tenney Cosponsored Bill to Prevent Veteran Opioid Abuse

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) announced the passage of H.R. 3832, the Veterans Opioid Abuse Prevention Act. Rep. Tenney is an original cosponsor of this bill, which was introduced by Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02) a U.S. Army veteran and doctor. This measure is designed to connect doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to a national network of state-based prescription drug-monitoring programs to help the VA identify someone who is at substantial risk for opioid abuse, overdose, and death. The monitoring programs are currently used by 49 states to track prescribing data and patient history for those prescribed narcotics.

"Opioids have become an unprecedented problem in America, but veterans in particular, are two times more susceptible than civilians to falling victim to the deadly opioid epidemic. This bill is an important step forward in empowering staff at the VA with relevant information needed to ensure no one slips through the cracks. Veterans are our nations heroes who put their lives on the line for our freedom. As a member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force and the representative of a district with over 55,000 veterans, it is among my top priorities to ensure that the VA has the tools necessary to provide the highest quality of care for our nation's heroes," said Congresswoman Tenney.

"It is unacceptable that American service members can return alive from foreign battlefields only to die from opioid overdoses at home. The Veterans Opioid Abuse Prevention Act will help doctors identify veterans who are at risk of opioid abuse by allowing greater information sharing between the VA and state prescription drug monitoring programs. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) deserves credit for helping America fulfill its solemn obligation to protect our veterans. Her advocacy on this issue will save lives," said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

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