US senators reach bipartisan agreement on care for veterans exposed to toxic combustion fireplaces

The two leaders of the US Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Montana Democrat Jon Tester and Kansas Republican Jerry Moran, reached an agreement with House leaders to pass a bill to expand access to veterans’ health care for conditions related to exposure to toxic chemicals during their service, the pair announced on Wednesday.

The consensus bill would for the first time provide veterans of all generations with health care and benefits in the event of exposure to toxic burning fireplaces overseas.

The agreement bridges the divides of two related measures passed in each house of Congress this year and paves the way for the passage of a bipartisan bill.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday the chamber would vote on the legislation the week of June 6, while the White House announced support for President Joe Biden.

The Senate unanimously approved a billion-dollar Moran-Tester bill in February to ensure that post-9/11 veterans who were exposed to toxic burning fireplaces can receive care through the intermediary of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

The House has not considered this bill, but rather vote 256-174 in early March to approve a invoice it would be much wider in scope and price.

Wednesday’s agreement would result in a measure that more closely resembles the House bill, although it includes substantial changes. Tester and Moran brokered the deal with Veterans’ House Speaker Mark Takano, D-California, and rank-and-file Republican Mike Bost of Illinois, as well as the Biden administration and advocacy groups veterans.

Toxic waste pits

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, federal contractors filled holes in the ground with garbage, medical waste, vehicles and plastics, doused the garbage with kerosene and set it on fire, The New York Times reported. Defense officials have been reluctant to accept responsibility for the health problems service members have contracted after inhaling the smoke from these fireplaces.

The bill is named after Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, an Ohio National Guard soldier who deployed to Kosovo and Iraq and died in 2020 of lung cancer believed to have resulted from an exposure to the burning of toxic waste in Iraq more than a decade earlier.

“This bipartisan legislation is the most comprehensive toxic exposure program the Senate has ever delivered to veterans,” Tester and Moran said in a statement.

“For too long, our country’s veterans have lived with chronic illnesses as a result of exposures during their time in uniform. Today, we are taking the necessary steps to right that wrong with our proposal that will provide veterans and their families with the health care and benefits they have earned and deserve.

Takano also applauded the deal.

“For too long, Congress and VA have been slow to act on toxic exposure – but I’m thrilled Testing Chair and Ranking Member Moran has agreed to a compromise to advance my legislation that delivers on our promise to alumni. fighters exposed to toxics,” he said. in a report.

The final text of the consensus bill has not been released. Once the Senate approves it, the House would then have to approve the changes. The bill would then head to Biden’s office.

Extended eligibility

The bill would expand VA health care eligibility to veterans after 9/11, affecting an estimated 3.5 million veterans. According to Tester-Moran’s statement, this would add 23 conditions related to burn pit and toxic exposure to a list of suspected service-related conditions.

The Senate would amend the House bill by phasing in the presumption over a period of years, addressing concerns that the VA could be overwhelmed by the provision taking effect immediately, Senate committee spokespersons said.

The Senate version will also include a framework for establishing future presumptions of service-related toxic exposure, according to Tester and Moran’s statement.

The agreement would also strengthen federal research into toxic exposure, improve VA resources and training for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and add funding for claims processing, VA workforce and AV facilities.

The bill would also expand the presumptions of exposure to Agent Orange to several countries in Asia and islands in the Pacific Ocean.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday that Biden supports the measure.

“President Biden has championed legislation to provide the health care benefits and services that veterans affected by toxic exposures have earned,” she said in a statement. “This historic and comprehensive bill will do just that.”

VA added nine rare respiratory cancers linked to exposure to the burn pit made the list of illnesses eligible for disability and health benefits last month.