Recently lawmakers have strongly supported the goal of providing increased care and benefits for veterans with service-related toxic exposure. However, the projected cost of this is proving to be a hurdle to moving these efforts forward.
According to an article published by Military Times, during a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee roundtable on the topic on Wednesday Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif. was quoted as saying, “Everybody here wants to do the right thing, but only some want to pay for it,” said Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif. The article continues, “Wednesday’s event was designed to restart legislative work on the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, a sweeping veterans toxic exposure bill introduced last summer that could lead to new benefits or services for as many as one out of every five living American veterans…The measure has gained praise from veterans advocates but objections from fiscal conservatives, who point to the nearly $300 billion price tag over the next decade as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office.”
Relevant pages: Veterans Disability