Washington – Today, The Jax Act, sponsored by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48), passed unanimously through the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The bill is named for Army combat veteran Jaclyn Scott – call sign “Jax” – one of the 310 Cultural Support Team members (CSTs) who were deployed alongside Special Operations Forces soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Jax Act will simply and accurately amend the military records of these female veterans and allow them the opportunity to have their medical claims reassessed at the VA. Currently, these women are being denied this designation, leading to the denial of rank, benefits, and critical health care services.
“These 310 women served in combat and in the same capacity as their male counterparts. But to this day, they’ve not received proper combat distinction. It’s time for the truth to be told,” said Rep. Issa. “The Jax Act is not a new entitlement. It is the overdue correction of an error that has denied hundreds of female combat veterans the recognition they are owed for their brave service to our country. We have an opportunity to make this right. I thank Chairman Bost and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and I look forward to passage by the full House of Representatives.”
Darrell Issa is the Representative of California’s 48th Congressional District. The District encompasses the central and eastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, Poway, Temecula, Murrieta, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.
