Bill would improve care for toxic-exposed veterans
Representative Salud Carbajal.
Bill will create presumptions for 23 respiratory illnesses, cancers
– This week, Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) joined a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill that he co-sponsored, the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which will help treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans, including access to earned benefits and healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
“When our servicemembers embark on their missions to protect the United States and its interests around the globe, we make a promise that we would take care of them when they came home. But that promise has not been kept for some veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals and substances in the course of their duties,” said Carbajal. “The bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act will ensure we keep our promise to veterans who were exposed to burn pits during their service by giving them access to the care and benefits they’ve earned. We owe it to toxic-exposed veterans to provide the care and benefits they’ve earned. As a veteran myself, I am proud to support the Honoring our PACT Act which is the comprehensive legislation we need to finally recognize military toxic exposure as a cost of war.”
The act is a comprehensive legislative package that will open up healthcare to over 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service and finally concede exposure to burn pits and airborne hazards.
The bill will create presumptions for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers, shifting the burden of proof off of veterans. If a veteran served in a particular theater at a particular time, they will be presumed to be exposed to toxic substances and therefore potentially eligible for healthcare and benefits.
The bipartisan legislation will also streamline VA’s presumption decision-making process so that congress does not have to keep intervening, and our veterans don’t have to wait decades for help.
More information on the bill can be found here.
Leaders from 11 Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) including the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), The American Legion (TAL), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), Minority Veterans of America (MVA), and Burn Pits 360, among others, support the comprehensive bipartisan package.
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