WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Kim voted to pass the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act to ensure all veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their service have access to the care and benefits they need and deserve. Most significantly, this legislation would create a presumption of service connection for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers related to toxic exposure. By finally making this change, veterans exposed to toxic substances – including veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan that served near burn pits and were exposed to other airborne hazards – will no longer be subject to a cumbersome disability benefit claims process that places the burden of proof on veterans themselves, streamlining their access to expanded benefits and healthcare available through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) automatically based on their dates and locations of service.
The bill passed the House with bipartisan support and a vote of 256-174.
"When our servicemembers risk their health and wellbeing for our nation, they deserve outstanding care and health coverage when they come home– not a bureaucratic maze," said Congressman Kim. "I'm proud to have voted for this important piece of legislation because over 3.5 million veterans still don't have the coverage they need after sacrificing so much. I'm glad this bill passed in a bipartisan way, making sure our country is repaying veterans' service with the care and benefits they have earned."
This comprehensive legislation will expand healthcare access for 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service. Critically, this bipartisan legislation will also streamline VA's presumption decision making process for other conditions, so our veterans don't have to wait decades for help ever again.
The bill includes the Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act, which Congressman Kim cosponsored, to also provide a presumption of service connection for hypertension and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) for veterans who served in Vietnam. Last Congress, Congressman Kim successfully fought to make Parkinsonism, bladder cancer, and hypothyroidism presumptive conditions. This change was signed into law as part of the William M. Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, and the VA has already begun automatically reviewing disability claims for veterans whose claims had previously been denied. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the Honoring our PACT Act would provide the same automatic eligibility for veterans with hypertension and MGUS, without the need for additional documentation to prove their illness is connected to their exposure to Agent Orange.
Congressman Kim is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Committee on Small Business. More information about Congressman Kim can be found on his website by clickinghere.
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