Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. — Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. helped pass a bill today to increase the health and well-being of millions of American veterans.
The bill, the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (or Honoring Our PACT) Act (H.R. 3967), would provide healthcare for an many as 3.5 million American veterans who have been exposed to airborne hazards and burn pits. Many of these veterans developed deadly cancers based on their exposure to airborne hazards, such as Agent Orange, or burn pits, locations on military bases where military personnel burn trash and hazardous waste. The bill would direct doctors to examine veterans for cancer, radiation exposure, hypertension and 23 respiratory illnesses directly. In addition, it makes more veterans eligible for medical treatments for these diseases faster and improves the data collection of veteran medical conditions to help future veterans who suffer from these diseases.
“This bill helps millions of American veterans who are suffering from diseases and other medical ailments they received during their service to our nation,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. “It allows doctors to look for these ailments directly in order to diagnose them early. The earlier we can diagnose these illnesses, the quicker we can get our veterans treatments and save lives.
original source can be found here.
