The Biden-Harris administration has expanded benefits for veterans with several types of cancer believed to be linked to toxic burn pits. They will now be allowed to receive crucial care without having to prove that their service caused the condition.
The new step, announced on Wednesday, creates a presumptive service connection for Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans diagnosed with acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder, ureter, and related genitourinary cancers.
Newsweek contacted the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Veterans Association of America for comment by email on Thursday morning, outside of standard working hours.
Why It Matters
The expansion will help veterans who have been exposed to burn pits used to burn waste on military bases receive faster care for their conditions, without having to wait through the complex process of proving their condition was caused by their service.
It is not a small step: a senior official mentioned by USA Today said the Biden administration estimates that tens of thousands of veterans who were diagnosed with the types of cancer listed in the expansion will become eligible for benefits over the next 10 years.
What To Know
The new move expands the 2022 PACT Act, a legislation that widened access to health care benefits for veterans exposed during deployment to burn pits. These were open-air trash sites commonly used by the military in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of Southwest Asia to burn waste in the bases.
The Department of Defense has since then closed most of the burn pits in its bases and plans to close the rest, according to the VA.
Initially, the PACT Act included 23 different respiratory illnesses and cancers linked to exposure to burn pits and was estimated to affect 3.5 million veterans.
Now, more veterans will be able to access the type of benefits and care offered to former service members who were exposed to harmful chemicals during war, such as Agent Orange and radiation.
Veterans with the types of cancer listed in the expansion, "as well as survivors of veterans who passed away due to these conditions, can immediately apply for benefits," President Joe Biden said in a statement on Wednesday. "I encourage them to do so," he added.
The expansion went into effect last week for some types of cancer and will do so this week for others. Veterans who were previously denied benefits can reapply, according to the VA.
What People Are Saying
President Joe Biden said in a statement on Wednesday: "As a nation, there is no more sacred obligation than properly preparing those we send into harm's way and taking care of them and their families when they come home. This is especially critical when we know that many who return home experience long-term health problems related to their service."
Burn Pits 360, a nonprofit NGO advocating for veterans' rights, wrote on X: "This critical update means more Veterans can finally access the care and benefits they deserve."
What's Next
Despite several former service members who were exposed to toxic burn pits during their deployment reporting serious health issues, the VA has not yet identified any clear link between the open-air trash sites and these conditions.
"Researchers, including experts at VA, are actively studying airborne hazards like burn pits and other military environmental exposures," the VA website reads.
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