Young Joins Colleagues to Protect Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits

Press Release

Iowa Congressman David Young and Congressmen Gus Bilarkis (FL-12), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), and Peter Welch (VT-AL) introduced the Protection for Veterans Burn Pit Exposure Act of 2018 (H.R. 6582) to deliver care to veterans suffering from their exposure to burn pits.

"I consistently hear from Iowa veterans who stepped up to serve their country and were exposed to toxic chemicals in burn pits," said Congressman Young. "Because of their stories and sacrifice, I am pleased to join my colleagues to introduce this legislation to give our veterans the medical care they deserve. I call on my colleagues to join me and advance this legislation quickly."

This bill seeks to remedy an injustice of keeping sick Veterans from accessing the medical care and disability compensation benefits they earned. Veterans serving in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom were exposed to toxic chemicals in burn pits during their deployments. Many of these veterans are now battling a wide range of diseases, some of which have proven fatal.

Currently, the VA does not recognize toxic burn pit exposure as a contributing factor to the development of the illnesses these Veterans are facing. This critical legislation will provide a presumption of service-connection for exposure to toxic burn pits, which will enable the veterans battling illness to immediately access VA medical care and disability benefits.

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