Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, a former Navy SEAL, is pushing new legislation that would require troops to undergo a battery of medical tests on an annual basis. The bill is named the Specialist Joey Lenz Act of 2025 for a soldier who died in his sleep at Fort Cavazos after a year of health problems. (Jonathon Alderman/U.S. Air National Guard )
WASHINGTON — The heart of 32-year-old Army Spc. Joey Lenz was three times the normal size for a man his age when he died of a heart attack in 2022.
Now Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, a former Navy SEAL, is hoping to prevent similar deaths with legislation introduced Wednesday that would require troops to undergo a battery of medical tests on an annual basis.
His bill, named the Specialist Joey Lenz Act of 2025, directs the defense secretary to offer service members a yearly sports physical alongside an electrocardiogram and blood work that includes a comprehensive metabolic panel and complete blood count.
The legislation also mandates a thyroid test and another that measures protein levels that can indicate heart failure as part of the blood work, if they are deemed necessary. Luttrell initially introduced the bill last year and is reintroducing it in the new session of Congress.
“Our service members dedicate their lives to defend us, and in return, we have a responsibility to ensure their health is protected,” Luttrell said. “By enhancing routine health assessments, the Specialist Joey Lenz Act honors Spc. Lenz’s legacy and takes a proactive approach to support the well-being of all who serve.”
Margie Taylor, Lenz’s mother, lobbied lawmakers for the legislation in the aftermath of her son’s death. She filed a $32 million wrongful death claim against the Army in 2022, claiming the service overmedicated her son after identifying and ignoring his heart condition.
Lenz, a generator mechanic assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Cavazos in Texas, died in his sleep in barracks on base. Lenz experienced health problems in the year before his death, spending a night in intensive care due to heart issues.
He was prescribed nine different drugs for various medical conditions, including one for heart problems, and died of mixed drug intoxication, according to the final cause of death listed on his death certificate.
Taylor said her son was not required by the Army to undergo annual physicals and instead did online health care assessments. She described the proposed bill as desperately needed and potentially lifesaving.
“These are men and women who volunteer to serve our country, put their life on the line, and we’re not even going to give them a damn physical? Are you kidding me?” she said. “Their weapon has to be inspected every 30 days, but we don’t care about the person pulling the trigger, if they’re healthy? It’s just unacceptable.”
One of the benefits of the legislation is that it will allow the Defense Department to properly document service members’ preexisting conditions and treat them, Taylor said.
She said she visited more than 50 congressional offices to press lawmakers to enact changes that she believes would have saved her son’s life. Luttrell’s bill does not have a Senate counterpart yet, but Taylor said she is confident it will pass into law this year.
“I am not stopping until I can do something,” she said. “I believe that if you know something is wrong, do something about it, even if it makes a difference to one person. Or you’re part of the problem.”
