The Darby Action Corps 

The BG William O. Darby VFW Post 8845 of Fort Smith participates in the VFW Action Corps, our national grassroots advocacy network comprised of more than 300,000 VFW Members and patriotic supporters of Veterans. Our local advocates stay up-to-date on the issues facing our Veterans, our military and their families, standing ready to email, write, call and visit our nation’s lawmakers to make their voices heard. The Darby Action Corps is free and open to all patriotic Americans who care about the military and Veterans’ communities.

Our Action Corps is what gives the VFW its strength in advocating for our nation’s heroes. Working hand-in-hand with the VFW’s National Legislative Service -- whose office is in eye-shot of the Capitol dome in Washington -- members of the Darby Action Corps are armed with all of the tools and information they need to help the VFW in its mission to support our nation’s Veterans.

Our Recent Legislative Victories Include:

• Passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, known as the PACT Act.  This historic, comprehensive legislation expands health care for generations of veterans who previously had to prove their conditions or illnesses were the result of service-connected exposure to toxic substances or environments. It includes VA provisions for 23 presumptive conditions for rare respiratory diseases and cancers, and creates a framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure.
• Passage of the Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act expands eligibility for VA mammography screenings to veterans who served in certain areas during specific time periods, and the Making Advances in Mammography and Medical Options (MAMMO) for Veterans Act addresses provisions of mammograms and breast cancer treatment within VA.
• Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act and Uniform Code of Military Justice reform on sexual assault and harassment included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.
• Implementation of VA’s maternity care coordination program to equip community care providers with training and support for the unique pregnancy and postpartum needs of women veterans.
• Passage of the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act which will establish a pilot program on dog training therapy for veterans diagnosed with PTSD and require VA to provide service dogs for those veterans, including veterinary insurance.
• Inclusion of bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and parkinsonism to the list of Department of Veterans Affairs presumptive conditions for herbicide exposure.
• Passage of the Deborah Sampson Act, which will remove the barriers to health care impacting women veterans.
• Elimination of the 12-year limit on using Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits.