Provisions based on the Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act were passed by the Senate last month

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) led a letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committee leaders urging them to include legislation to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in their final appropriations bill. Those provisions, based on the Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act, were included in the Senate-passed Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act and would create a Center of Excellence in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) focused on researching the health effects associated with burn pits and treating veterans who become sick after exposure.

“The open-air burn pits that the U.S. military has used in many overseas combat operations, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have exposed many servicemembers to a variety of potentially harmful substances. Those exposed to burn pits have experienced a wide range of health effects, including cancer, neurological effects, reproductive issues, respiratory toxicity, and cardiovascular toxicity,” the senators wrote. “Maintaining these provisions in the final conference report for the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for FY 2019 is an essential step forward in addressing the health care needs of our veterans.”

The letter was also signed by the authors of the House companion bill, Representatives Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) and Peter King (R-NY), and Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Edward Markey (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Gary Peters (D-MI).

The full text of the letter can be found below:

Dear Chairman Shelby, Chairman Frelinghuysen, Vice Chairman Leahy, and Vice Chairwoman Lowey:

We write to urge you to maintain provisions based on the Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act—which were included in the Senate-passed FY 2019 Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act—in the final conference report.

The open-air burn pits that the U .S. military has used in many overseas combat operations, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, have exposed many servicemembers to a variety of potentially harmful substances. Those exposed to burn pits have experienced a wide range of health effects, including cancer, neurological effects, reproductive issues, respiratory toxicity, and cardiovascular toxicity. In fact, more than 155,000 military personnel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have signed up for a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) registry created  in 2014 for veterans to register health problems associated with exposure to burn pits.

We must do more to ensure that these veterans receive the care and support they deserve. The provisions based on the Helping Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits Act included in the Senate­-passed version of the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2019 would create a Center of Excellence in the VA focused on researching the health effects associated with burn pits and treating veterans who become sick after exposure.

After the Vietnam War, it took the U.S. government years to recognize that there was a link between Agent Orange and its devastating health effects on our soldiers. As an increasing number of servicemembers are returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan and experiencing illnesses, we cannot make that same tragic mistake by failing to identify the devastating health effects associated with burn pits. Maintaining these provisions in the final conference report for the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and  Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for FY 2019 is an essential step forward in addressing the health care needs of our veterans.

Thank you for considering this request.

Sincerely,

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