A bill that would expand care to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits is on its way to the president’s desk.
At a roundtable with local veterans on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said the bill has passed the Senate and needs just “one more action,” before President Joe Biden is able to sign it.
“I hope that could be done next week,” Casey said.
The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins, or Honoring our PACT Act, aims to expand care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to more veterans exposed to toxic substances in the line of duty.
If adopted, the bill would add 23 burn pit and toxic exposure related conditions to the VA’s presumptive list - the list of conditions that qualify as connected to service and allow a veteran to qualify for VA Disability benefits.
Casey discussed the bill and other healthcare concerns with a group of local veterans at Lackawanna College in Scranton.
As the group reviewed the bill, Andy Chomko, an army veteran from Scranton, described the burn pits he came in contact with during his service. He recalled a hole dug by excavators, filled with “charred rubbish,” garbage, lithium batteries and all manner of unneeded and discarded items, lit on fire with diesel fuel.
“That fire would perpetually burn,” he said. “Just smoldering.”
Retired Major General John L. Gronski brought up concerns on backlogs at VA facilities, particularly when the bill expands VA benefit access to more veterans.
“Steps must continue to occur to transform the Veterans Administration into a more effective and efficient organization,” he said. “This must be done so our veterans can obtain the care they deserve.”
Amber Viola, a Navy veteran from Scranton, said she was not personally exposed to burn pits on the ground, but many of her fellow veterans were exposed to toxins directly or indirectly.
“If you were in Iraq, or Afghanistan, or in the Gulf area, that whole area is covered, whether it's air, land or sea,” she said. “That’s what I really liked about (the bill), was that it really includes all the branches of service and kind of everybody.”
