Courtney Votes to Keep America's Promise to Veterans Suffering from Toxic Exposure

Press Release

Last night, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) voted to pass the Sergeant First Class Heath RobinsonHonoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act (S. 3373), a bipartisan bill that would finally 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). Rep. Courtney is a co-sponsor of the Honoring Our PACT Act, which passed the House today by a vote of 342-88.

The PACT Act was previously passed by the House in March by a vote of 256-174, and by a vote of 84-14 in the Senate. However, a technical issue within the Senate's amended version of the bill required further action by the House. After last night's vote, the PACT Act will head back to the Senate for final consideration, and then on to the President's desk to be signed into law.

"There are millions of veterans--many here in eastern Connecticut--who served America honorably, and who we know are suffering from complications resulting from exposure to toxins and chemicals during their service. America owes these veterans and their families a debt that can't be repaid, but what we can and must do is follow through on the care that was promised to these men and women before they put on our nation's uniform," said Congressman Courtney. "We've been working for years to tear down the red tape over at the VA, and this bill knocks out a good amount of it--it instructs the VA to recognize twenty-three new illnesses and cancers as "presumptive' for disability compensation, shifting a huge burden off our vets. There's more work to do to secure earned benefits for all of America's veterans, especially those suffering from exposure to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, but this is a big step forward so many vets and their families. I'm proud to help pass this bipartisan bill."

The PACT Act is a bipartisan package that will open healthcare benefits to over 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service. It concedes exposure to burn pits based on locations and dates of service, and will establish a presumption of service connection for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers related to burn pits and airborne hazards exposure, shifting the burden of proof off our veterans. Under the PACT Act, if a veteran served in a particular theatre at a particular time, they will be presumed to have been exposed to toxic substances and therefore potentially eligible for healthcare and benefits.

The bill will also streamline the 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.

Specifically, the PACT Act will:

Expand VA healthcare eligibility to Post-9/11 combat veterans, which includes more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans
Add 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related respiratory illnesses and cancers to VA's list of service-connected presumptive illnesses, including hypertension
Expand coverage for illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure, adding hypertension and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance to the list of presumptions for Agent Orange 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 to veterans who served in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll
Create a streamlined framework for the establishment of future presumptions of service connection related to toxic exposure
Require the VA to conduct outreach and provide resources to toxic exposed veterans
Strengthen federal research on toxic exposure, and improve data collection between the VA and DOD
Require the VA to provide standardized training to improve toxic exposure disability claims adjudication
Set VA and veterans up for success by investing in:
VA claims processing
Recruiting and retaining VA's workforce; and
Expanding VA's healthcare infrastructure via leases
The Honoring Our PACT Act has drawn support from nationwide 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, and more.

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