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Ruiz Passes Major Priorities to Get Burn Pit-Exposed Veterans Health Care in Landmark Veterans’ Affairs Committee Markup

June 24, 2021

With Ruiz’s provisions, the Honoring our PACT Act will help veterans get the care they’ve earned and deserve.

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) advanced his priorities to get veterans who have been exposed to burn pits and toxic exposures the benefits and care they have earned and deserve in today's House Veterans' Affairs Committee markup of H.R. 3967, the Honoringour Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2021, or the Honoring our PACT Act. This comprehensive legislation seeks to address the full gamut of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans' access to earned benefits and care.

The Honoring our PACT Act – which will now head to the House floor for a vote – includes several of Ruiz's provisions to help veterans who have been exposed to burn pits and other toxins access crucial health care services:

  • A presumption of service connection for 24 conditions, including respiratory conditions and cancers for approximately 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards.
  • A presumption of service connection for pancreatic cancer in honor of his constituent, Jennifer Kepner, who died from pancreatic cancer linked to her exposure to toxic burn pits during her military service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • A provision to ensure that disabled veterans who have been exposed to burn pits and other toxins are given the "benefit of the doubt" by the VA when seeking medical coverage.

"It is time to act on burn pits right now,"said Dr. Ruiz in the markup. "[Veterans] are on life support. We need to provide them the means to get the treatment and the benefits so that they can live a life with dignity, and they can be recognized once and for all. And, we can make our promise to Vietnam veterans real that we will not have another Agent Orange in our generation: we will not delay until they're dead; we will provide the care they need right now."

The bill passed with bipartisan support with only 11 Republicans on the Committee voting against providing sick veterans the care they need.

You can watch Ruiz's full remarks in today's markuphere.

BACKGROUND

Veterans are now sick and dying from lung diseases, cancers, and respiratory illnesses after living among this toxic cocktail of dust, smoke, and debris while serving our country overseas.

Veterans who have been exposed to burn pits and other toxins overseas often face a cumbersome – and sometimes impossible – disability benefit claims process at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to get the health care they need.

The Honoring our PACT Act would streamline this process. Specifically, the bill would:

  • Provide Priority Group 6 health care for certain toxic exposed veterans
  • Streamline VA's review process for establishing toxic exposure presumptions
  • Concede exposure to airborne hazards/burn pits based on locations & dates of service
  • Require medical exams/opinions for certain veterans with toxic exposure disability claims
  • Add hypertension and MGUS to the list of presumptions for Agent Orange exposure
  • Establish a presumption of service connection for 24 respiratory illnesses and cancers related to burn pits/airborne hazards exposure
  • Create a presumption of exposure to radiation for veterans who participated in cleanup activities in Palomares, Spain and Enewetak Atoll
  • Expand agent orange exposure toveterans who served in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia
  • Improve data collection between VA and the Department of Defense
  • Commission studies related to incidents of cancer among veterans, health trends of Post 9/11 veterans and feasibility of providing health care to dependents of veterans
  • Require VA provide standardized training to improve toxic exposure claims adjudications
  • Require VA conduct outreach and provide resources to toxic exposed veterans

Ruiz, the founder and co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Burn Pits Caucus, has been a fierce advocate in addressing the military's use of toxic burn pits and helping veterans who have been exposed obtain the benefits and care they need from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Issues:Veterans