America’s military veterans face a health crisis due to exposure to toxic burn pits overseas, said U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) last week during a roundtable discussion.
“Veterans exposed to toxins is a very personal issue for me since my wife’s uncle died of exposure to Agent Orange, and I have been working since the day I was sworn in to ensure we don’t repeat the decades-long mistakes that resulted in lost time and a lack of care for Vietnam War veterans and service members and military families at Camp Lejeune,” said Sen. Tillis during the event, entitled Toxic Exposures During Military Service: The Way Forward.
“We face another crisis with toxic exposure from burn pits in Afghanistan and the Middle East that we need to get ahead of before it’s too late,” said Sen. Tillis at the event that was hosted by U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Other roundtable participants included Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Jon Tester (D-MT) and U.S. Sens. John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Rounds (R-ND), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), all members on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The lawmakers were joined by leaders from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and numerous veterans service organizations (VSOs).
Roundtable participants also delved into a legislative proposal initially developed by the Toxic Exposures in the American Military (TEAM) Coalition and championed by Sen. Tillis that would reform and improve how veterans exposed to toxic substances receive healthcare and benefits from the VA.
The draft bill would expand access to preventative and diagnostic services for veterans exposed to toxins and establish an independent scientific commission tasked with researching the health effects of such toxic exposure and to periodically submit its findings and recommendations to the VA and Congress, according to Sen. Tillis’ office.