WASHINGTON, DC (August 23, 2018) – Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the leading voice of the Post-9/11 generation of veterans, is proud to announce that U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has become a cosponsor of the Burn Pits Accountability Act (S. 3181/H.R. 5671), to improve the tracking and reporting of servicemembers’ exposure to burn pits and airborne toxins during their deployments.

Sen. Sherrod Brown has served in the Senate representing Ohio since 2007 and previously served in the House since 1993. He currently serves as the Ranking Member on the Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Committee, as well as the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

“Per our most recent IAVA Member Survey, 80% of IAVA members report being exposed to burn pits and 63% of those exposed report symptoms. I count myself among the 63%,” said IAVA Chief Policy Officer, Melissa Bryant. “According to the VA, about 3.5 million servicemembers and veterans are eligible for enrollment in the VA’s Burn Pit and Toxic Exposures Registry yet only 154,000 are enrolled. We want to thank Sen. Brown for signing onto this important piece of legislation.”

“We must ensure that members of our military who have been exposed to environmental hazards like burn pits receive the benefits they need and deserve. This legislation will help us focus on delivering assistance to men and women who are suffering after serving our nation,” said Brown.

The Burn Pits Accountability Act, sponsored by Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Brian Mast (R-FL), now has 119 House cosponsors, and 5 in the Senate. The bill is among IAVA’s Big Six priorities for 2018, including Suicide Prevention, Government Reform, #SheWhoBorneTheBattle, #DefendTheGIBill, and #CannabisForVets.