Senate passes historic vote ensuring health care relief for veterans exposed to burn pits

WASHINGTON — Help is on the way for hundreds of thousands of veterans suffering from 9/11-like toxic exposure illnesses after the U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed the most significant expansion of the Veterans Administration in modern times.

According to the VA, some 3.5 million American veterans were exposed to air from poisonous burn pits in deployments overseas since the nation went to war in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Growing numbers have gotten sick or died from that exposure, having breathed in smoke all-too-similar to the toxic clouds surrounding the devastated World Trade Center. The smoke came from massive pits that the military used to burn plastics, medical waste, ammunition and anything else, even setting it aflame with jet fuel, much like the accelerant that burned the twin towers.

But around three-quarters of ill service members and veterans who submitted claims were denied by the VA because toxic exposures were not covered.

The bill, named the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act after a soldier who died from his exposure, would guarantee health benefits without red tape to any veteran suffering from various illnesses, including certain cancers and breathing disorders.

The bill also improves care for some Vietnam veterans and people who served at nuclear sites. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the total cost, including existing funding that is shifted by the legislation, will cost some $280 billion over 10 years.

The centerpiece of the measure focuses on the burn pits, written by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., modeled on 9/11 legislation.

She said passing the bill was a matter of living up to its title — honoring the pact the nation makes to care for the people who fight its wars.

“Our service members and their families give everything for our country. And as a nation we promise to care for them when they come home,” Gillibrand said. “At last, we are honoring that promise and paying the price we owe them for our freedoms, our values, and our safety.”

The bill will need to be approved by the House.