The Honoring Our PACT Act

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IAVA celebrates the final passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins (PACT) Act, signed into law by President Biden on August 10, 2022.

While the VA had taken great strides forward in recent years to deal with toxic exposures, it was not enough. The PACT Act is comprehensive legislation that not only provides for healthcare and benefits, but also creates a framework for how presumptive illnesses are handled.

According to IAVA’s latest member survey, over 80% of IAVA members were exposed to burn pits during their deployments and a shocking 90% of those exposed believe they already have or may have symptoms. IAVA and our allies within the VSO community have spent years educating Congress, national leaders, and the public on the enormous scope of these injuries faced by our community.

Year after year, the concern grows surrounding the health impacts of burn pits and other toxic exposures in recent conflicts. Burn pits were a common way to get rid of waste at military sites in Iraq and Afghanistan. The effect of toxic exposure is not just the chemicals in the smoke, but the particulate matter, dust, ashes and other pollutants these men and women breathed in.

Approximately 3.5 million veterans were exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards. Yet, as late as 2022, VA continued to deny approximately 70% of burn pit related claims. This much-needed legislation finally takes the burden of proof off the veteran by creating a presumption of service connection for a list of illnesses and diseases, including cancer, as well as allowing veterans to receive health care from VA.

While VA has made many strides forward in recent years, creating presumptives of 12 illnesses due to toxic exposure, it was simply not enough. Veterans looked towards Congress for bold action and leadership. Passing comprehensive legislation to ensure that veterans have the healthcare, benefits, and a framework for how presumptive illnesses are handled, was time-critical.

It is for these reasons that IAVA supported passage of the Honoring Our PACT Act (Honoring Our Promise To Address Comprehensive Toxics Act). This critical piece of legislation is a culmination of years of work by Members of Congress, those within the VSO community, and more, to finally address the needs of veterans that have suffered from their exposures.

While there have been a number of bills introduced to address a range of toxic exposure issues, the PACT Act is the legislation that will provide the most comprehensive solution. Veterans that have been exposed and are now sick have no time to wait for the healthcare and benefits that they have earned through their service. Additionally, the PACT Act includes an important framework to address military toxic exposures into the future. Finally, on August 10th, 2022, veterans received comprehensive legislation that includes healthcare, benefits, and a framework to address one of the signature injuries of the post-9/11 wars.

IAVA and other VSOs advocated strongly for the passage of this legislation. We worked tirelessly to address concerns from Members of Congress and VA to ensure that the PACT Act was not only passed into law, but also enacted without overwhelming VA resources.

IAVA continues to fight on behalf of the 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards, and on behalf of the veterans behind the nearly 70% of burn pit related claims that were denied by the VA. Signing the PACT Act into law is a significant step forward, but IAVA will remain viligant to make sure it is enacted expeditiously and effectively. Supported by nearly every veterans group in the country, this comprehensive toxic exposure legislation finally keeps America’s promise to take care of those who fought to defend us.