Bill to help veterans suffering from toxic burn pit exposure takes key step

On Feb 20, 2022

It’s not yet clear though when burn pit legislation might get to the President’s desk to be signed into law, and advocates say more still needs to be done for veterans to address the issue of toxic exposure.

Burn pits were used to incinerate and burn waste, hazardous material, and chemical compounds at military sites throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. A 2020 member survey by the advocacy organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America found that 86 percent of respondents were exposed to burn pits or other toxins.

The bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday would expand the window of eligibility for health care for post-9/11 combat veterans from five to 10 years after discharge from military service, and provide a one-year open enrollment period for any post-9/11 combat veterans who are outside that ten-year window.

Among other provisions, the bill would also require the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement clinical screenings for veterans to look for potential exposure to toxic substances and symptoms commonly associated with exposure.

The Senate bill had bipartisan backing and was introduced by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, and the top Republican on the panel, Jerry Moran of Kansas.

The bill is the first part of a three-step, bipartisan approach the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee is undertaking in an effort to address the issue of toxic exposure for veterans. The committee is currently working on the second phase of the effort with a goal of having it ready for Senate floor action in the coming months.

On the other side of the Capitol, Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat who chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has introduced a bill with bipartisan support called the Honoring our PACT Act that aims to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances.

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Among a range of provisions, the House bill would put in place “a presumption of service connection for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers related to burn pits and airborne hazards exposure,” according to a fact sheet from the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Since the House bill is not identical to the legislation passed by Senate, it is not yet clear what lawmakers will do to get a measure to the President’s desk and the bills may need to be reconciled at some point in the future.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi highlighted the House bill as an “important initiative” in a letter to House Democrats in January detailing the upcoming legislative agenda for the chamber.

After the Senate passed its bill this week, some advocates were quick to say more needs to be done.

Jeremy Butler, CEO of the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told CNN’s Brianna Keilar this week, “The bill that just passed through the Senate basically does about a third of what we were asking for and unfortunately, that’s because health care is expensive, benefits are expensive. But when you are sick and dying from rare cancers, that’s what you need.”

“This is a small first step,” he said. “It moves the ball legislatively down the line, but it doesn’t get to where we need as veteran’s groups.”

Tester and Moran celebrated…

Bill to help veterans suffering from toxic burn pit exposure takes key step

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