IFPTE Urges Senators to Vote Yes on Veterans Health, Burn Pits, and Toxic Exposure Legislation

This week IFPTE, as the Senate prepared to consider the “Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022” (Honoring Our PACT Act), H.R. 3967, IFPTE sent a letter to all Senators urging them to support the bipartisan legislation.

Honoring Our PACT Act is sponsored by Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana), Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Ranking Member of the committee.  The bill was passed by the House of Representatives in early March by a vote of 256 to 174.

In the letter, IFPTE informed Senators that the legislation “establishes a presumption of service connection for 23 illnesses and disabilities resulting from airborne exposure, a presumption of exposure to radiation, expands presumption for Agent Orange exposure, streamlines access and eligibility to benefits for affected veterans, requires the VA to implement standardized training on presumption of airborne toxic exposure and conduct outreach for veterans and caregivers, and improves data collection and analysis of illnesses and treatment related to toxic exposure.” 

Upon passage by the Senate, this legislation is expected to be signed into law by President Biden.

Read IFPTE’s letter the Senate urging passage of the Honoring Our PACT Act here.

Read AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council Executive Director Will Attig’s statement on the Senate advancing the Honoring Our Pact Act here.