Time to get Kansas veterans the health care they deserve | Commentary
Thirty years after the Agent Orange Act made Vietnam veterans eligible to receive treatment and compensation for health conditions associated with the herbicide, veterans are facing a similar fight: Improved access and delivery of VA health care and disability benefits for the 3.5 million veterans exposed to open-air burn pits.
Burn pits, which were common during the Gulf War, Iraq War, and Global War on Terror, involved the incineration of medical and human waste, rubber, batteries and other items that had been doused in jet fuel. The pits released plumes of noxious black smoke into the air, to long-lasting effects.
Today, exposed service members are being diagnosed with a variety health issues. Under the current system, these sick veterans must prove their condition is a direct result of toxic exposure to receive VA benefits and care. That these veterans served in areas of Afghanistan, Iraq, or other geographies where burn pits raged is not enough. That they are being diagnosed with cancers typically not seen in people their age is not enough.
To date, the VA has ignored mountains of scientific evidence linking the chemicals found in burn pit smoke to 23 types of cancers and respiratory illnesses. At best, the VA makes it complicated and burdensome for a veteran to receive treatment. At worst, it prevents them from getting adequate, timely and affordable care at all.
From June 2007 to December 2020, nearly 13,000 veterans filed a disability claim for a burn pit related condition. Less than 3,000 of these claims — only 22% — were approved.
Yet there is hope.
Under recent pressure from veterans groups and advocates like Jon Stewart, politicians have vowed for change. Several new bills aimed at improving benefits and the process for veterans to receive them have been presented. Over the last several months, two frontrunners have emerged.
Both bills would allow veterans who were at risk of toxic exposure to obtain lifelong access to health care from the VA. They would also establish presumptive care for a set number of conditions for veterans sickened by burn pits exposure. This provision is huge. It means veterans with these conditions wouldn’t have to prove that they qualify for treatment; the fact that they were there would be enough.
Only one bill, though — the Honoring Our Promise To Address Comprehensive Toxics Act Of 2021, or Honoring Our PACT Act — extends presumption to the complete list of 23 cancers and respiratory illnesses linked to burn pits and creates a presumption of exposure to radiation as well. The other includes just 12 conditions, omitting brain, kidney, reproductive, and a number of other cancers.
This is unacceptable: To dedicate years of one’s life to their country, to voluntarily put oneself at risk to protect the American way of life, to be diagnosed with a rare and devastating condition with no plausible explanation other than toxic exposure, to then be denied health care by the VA. It’s demoralizing. It’s dehumanizing. And our veterans deserve better.
Yet, the Honoring Our PACT Act faces an uphill battle, as key members of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, namely Sen. Jerry Moran, have yet to give their support.
Kansas is home to almost 200,000 veterans. What will it take to give these heroes the services, care, and dignity they deserve?
For thousands of Vietnam veterans exposed to and suffering the negative health effects of Agent Orange, it took 40 years. Let’s not make the same mistake twice.
The time for action and to finally recognize toxic exposure as a cost of war is now. Call Sen. Moran and make sure he fulfills his promise of “making certain that veterans receive the right care at the right time.”
This story was originally published July 17, 2021 at 3:57 AM.