Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Bob Menendez
SEWELL, N.J. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) today celebrated the signing of bipartisan legislation into law, which will expand health care and benefits to more than 3.5 million veterans across the country who were exposed to toxins while serving in the military. The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, or PACT Act, includes the Senator’s Improving Benefits for Gulf War Veterans Act, which will expand access to essential benefits for veterans who served in the Gulf War and other wars in the region.
“Simply put, the Honoring our PACT Act lives up to its name — it honors our pact to every single American who answered the call, who put their country and their community before themselves,” said Sen. Menendez. “For me, honoring our veterans goes beyond recognizing them for their service — it’s about living up to our commitment to serve those who so selflessly served us. And when we dedicate ourselves to securing healthcare and benefits for those who have been exposed to toxic substances — from Agent Orange to burn pits — we are living up to this responsibility.”
The PACT Act will address illnesses from exposure to toxic burn pits and expand presumptions related to Agent Orange exposure. The bill will also add 23 burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions to the VA’s list of service presumptions, including hypertension. The bill would also strengthen federal research on toxic exposure and improve the VA’s resources and training for toxic-exposed veterans. It will also ensure veterans have adequate resources by investing in VA claims processing and health care facilities and boost the department’s workforce.
The Senator’s provision’s will also extend to veterans who served in wars in the Gulf and who have experienced unexplained chronic symptoms known as the “Gulf War Illness”, which can include symptoms of fatigue, joint pain, memory loss, insomnia, and respiratory disorders. Exposure to pesticides and other toxins have been linked to these symptoms.
Sen. Menendez celebrated yesterday’s signing of the PACT Act into law by President Biden in Sewell, alongside Gloucester County Commissioner Denice DiCarlo and local veterans.
This legislation is named after Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson who was deployed to Kosovo and Iraq with the Ohio National Guard. He died in 2020 from toxic exposure as a result of his military service. In June, Sen. Menendez joined veterans in Bayonne calling on his Senate colleagues to pass the bill without delay. Sen. Menendez first introduced the Improving Benefits for Gulf War Veterans Act last year.
The Improving Benefits for Gulf War Veterans Act as Section 405 of the PACT Act would:
Permanently extend the period of eligibility for benefits
- Previously, veterans needed to experience and report Gulf War illness symptoms by December 31, 2026 in order to receive disability compensation benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This sunset date, which has been extended by the VA six times, will be eliminated which will ensure veterans whose symptoms do not manifest until later in life receive the benefits they earned.
Expand veteran eligibility for VA benefits
- Studies show that veterans who served in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield have experienced similar symptoms as those who served in the Gulf War but were not eligible for disability benefits. The law makes veterans who served in Afghanistan, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Jordan eligible for benefits.
- Until recently, it was required for a veteran to have a disability associated with Gulf War illness and a rating of at least 10 percent to be eligible for disability compensation. The PACT Act lowers the eligibility threshold to zero percent, allowing more veterans to receive disability compensation and other benefits.
Improve training for VA staff
- VA medical staff is currently not required to complete training before conducting Gulf War illness examinations, leading to a substantial number of veterans falling through the cracks and being denied VA benefits. The law will now require the VA to ensure department personnel are appropriately trained in dealing with Gulf War illness claims and to report to Congress annually on actions taken.
Create a single, uniform disability based questionnaire (DBQ)
- Before the signing of the PACT Act into law, the VA assigned separate DBQs for each Gulf War illness symptom a veteran reports. The VA would then order examinations for each symptom without considering that one illness is connected to multiple symptoms, often leading to veterans’ claims being denied. The VA will now be required to develop a single DBQ for the Gulf War illness, which would facilitate more timely and accurate consideration of disability compensation for veterans suffering from the illness.
Earlier today, Sen. Menendez attended events in Atlantic and Cape May Counties highlighting federal funding that will have a direct impact in South Jersey communities.
###