HERO Act

H.R. 6730, the Health Equality and Rights for Our Heroes Act (HERO Act), would grant active-duty service members the right to bring medical malpractice claims to federal District Court when injured at Department of Defense medical treatment facilities. Currently, active-duty service members have extremely limited options for seeking justice in such cases, with the available in-house DOD panel process having a success rate of less than two percent. In contrast, military spouses, DOD civilians, and other Americans injured at military medical facilities already have the right to pursue their claims in District Court.

If enacted, this bill would provide active-duty service members with the same legal recourse available to other Americans and military families. Supporters argue this change is necessary to ensure service members can seek full and fair compensation for preventable medical harm. The bill is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full House.