Two bills that address the military’s use of toxic burn pits have been signed into law by President Joe Biden as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
Authored by Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), the bills expand the Burn Pits Registry and enhance training on the health effects of burn pits.
“With my legislation included and now signed into law, this year’s NDAA will help address the urgent public health crisis facing our veterans by expanding the Burn Pit id Registry and helping physicians quickly identify at-risk service members,” said Ruiz, who is also a physician. “Today is a great victory for our nation’s veterans and service members, and I look forward to continuing the fight to give them the timely care they need and end the use of burn pits once and for all.”
Burn pits have been used at U.S. military installations for years. The designated areas are dedicated to burning everything from human waste to excess equipment and other trash. The pits have exposed more than 3.5 million service members to toxic fumes and according to a Department of Veterans Affairs registry, more than 200,000 veterans have said exposure to the pits has made them ill. However, the VA has denied assistance to many of them.
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Ruiz’s two bills that were signed into law on Dec. 27 as part of this year’s NDAA are:
1. H.R. 4397, the Department of Defense (DoD) Burn Pits Health Provider Training Act, which requires the Defense Department to implement mandatory training for all medical providers working under DoD on the potential health effects of burn pits.
2. H.R. 4400, Burn Pit Registry Expansion Act, which requires DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand the Burn Pits Registry to include Egypt and Syria.
The two bills aid in the effort for burn pit exposure to become a presumptive condition when the VA considers a veteran’s disability claims.
Two other bills currently before Congress also address burn pits and their impact on veterans. Earlier this year, Ruiz joined Jon Stewart, House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-CA), Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) in introducing H.R. 3967, the Honoring Our Promises to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act or PACT Act, comprehensive legislation to get veterans who have been exposed to burn pits and other toxins the health care and benefits they’ve earned and deserve.
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On the Senate side, the Comprehensive and Overdue Support for Troops (COST) of War Act of 2021 would provide generations of veterans suffering from toxic exposures their due benefits and care for the first time in VA history. The legislation passed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in markup unanimously and was introduced by committee chairman Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).
Both Takano and Tester expressed optimism the bills would be passed by Congress by the end of the year. As of News Year's Eve, neither bill has moved forward.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.