Senate finally passes PACT Act, clearing the way for care for veterans exposed to burn pits
About time.
BY HALEY BRITZKY | PUBLISHED AUG 2, 2022 8:20 PM
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Along-awaited bill ensuring health care for veterans exposed to burn pits during their service has passed the Senate, after days of uncertainty.
The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, a landmark veterans’ healthcare bill known as the PACT Act, establishes that 23 illnesses, including lung cancer, are service-related for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who were exposed to toxins on deployment. Burn pits were a “common way to get rid of waste at military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan,” according to a rundown of the bill from the veterans’ advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). The chemicals from those pits have since been linked to a number of illnesses.
“Approximately 3.5 million veterans were exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards,” IAVA’s website says. “Yet VA continues to deny approximately 70% of burn pit related claims.”
It would also help Vietnam War veterans get care after their exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant used during that conflict that left some exposed veterans stricken with severe illnesses. The PACT Act officially passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday with a final vote of 86-11.
https://taskandpurpose.com/history/pact-act-passed-senate-burn-pits-veterans/
