House approves Wenstrup’s bipartisan bill to support more U.S. veterans harmed by burn pits

The U.S. House of Representatives on March 5 unanimously voted 416-0 to pass the Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act, cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH).

“The Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act would ensure the VA has more accurate records for veterans exposed to burn pits, so we can better serve those with service-related illnesses,” Rep. Wenstrup said recently. 

Rep. Wenstrup is the lead original cosponsor of H.R. 1381, sponsored on Feb. 26 by U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) to bolster the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) registry of service members and veterans exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes from open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

If enacted, H.R. 1381 specifically would direct the VA Secretary to take actions necessary to ensure that certain individuals may update the burn pit registry with a registered individual’s cause of death, among other purposes, according to the text of the bill.

“As an Iraq War veteran, I am familiar with the use of burn pits in theater and understand the potential harm burn pits can inflict on service members, even years after exposure,” said Rep. Wenstrup, a U.S. Army Reservist since 1998 who currently holds the rank of colonel. 

In 2005-06, the congressman served a tour in Iraq as a combat surgeon and received a Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service. Rep. Wenstrup also in 2018 received the Soldier’s Medal.

The lawmaker’s staff noted in a summary of H.R. 1381 that the proposed bill also would permit a designated individual or immediate family member to report the cause of death of a registered veteran, and would provide a process whereby a registered veteran could designate who would make the report to the registry on his or her behalf.

“The theatre of war can present many health challenges, which do not show up until later in life. We’re learning that burn pit exposure can be one such condition,” Rep. Wenstrup said earlier this month from the House floor in support of H.R. 1381. “I support increased research into the range of impacts that can arise from burn pit exposure.”

That research, he said, includes the registry and “detailed impacts that result from that exposure.”

Following House approval of the bill, the U.S. Senate received H.R. 1381 on March 6 and the following day placed the measure on its legislative calendar for action.