In an effort to help ill veterans apply for VA benefits, a bill was introduced last week that would recognize the health hazards that oil fires, burn pits, and other pollution sources pose.
According to an article published by MilitaryTimes, “The “Veterans Burn Pit Exposure Recognition” bill, S. 2950, would declare that service members who deployed to the Middle East in the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War and after, to Afghanistan and Djibouti following Sept. 11, 2001, and to Iraq beginning in 2003 were exposed to toxins.”
The bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to confirm that veterans were exposed to pollutants if they served in the above locations during the specified time frames. However, the bill does not establish service connection for diseases and does not guarantee disability benefits for ill veterans.
Relevant pages: Veterans Disability