Ending the Wait
For over a century, U.S. service members have faced health challenges linked to toxic exposures, from mustard gas in World War I and Agent Orange in Vietnam to hazardous emissions from the Atsugi Waste Incinerator in Japan and burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many veterans struggle to access VA benefits for these conditions due to the long latency period of symptoms and the difficulty in connecting them to specific exposures.
In response to this ongoing issue, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Congress have occasionally enacted measures to streamline benefits for certain groups of affected veterans. However, significant delays have often left veterans without the care they need, sometimes resulting in tragic outcomes. And for each exposure that eventually gains presumptions, there are numerous others still waiting for acknowledgement.
This situation has created a frustrating cycle of military toxic exposure "whack-a-mole" in Congress, where affected groups must tirelessly lobby for healthcare and benefits for years, if not decades. Their efforts are further complicated by shifting congressional priorities and obstacles like the PAYGO rule, which mandates that any new spending be offset by equivalent savings.
While the PACT Act of 2022 made significant progress in assisting some veterans, it fell short of covering all toxic exposures and did not streamline the claims process adequately. To help address this issue, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) partnered to conduct extensive research on past toxic exposures and the response to those exposures from DoD and the VA. Their recent report, Ending the Wait for Toxic-Exposed Veterans, details an average wait time of 34.1 years from the time an exposure occurs to the date when the VA formally “presumes” the exposure caused the veteran’s illness.
The report outlines four key recommendations for reforming VA procedures to ensure timely access to healthcare and benefits:
Establishing Presumptions: A streamlined process to establish connections between illnesses and exposures, creating clear timelines and thresholds for care.
Enhanced Research: Expanding research and monitoring to better understand exposures in real time, improving VA’s ability to identify and support affected veterans.
Pre-Separation Enrollment: Implementing pre-separation enrollment into VA care for active-duty service members and eliminating PAYGO requirements for toxic exposure-related legislation.
New Classification System: Developing a classification system for toxic exposures that clearly identifies gaps in evidence and outlines a path forward for both veterans and VA officials.
DAV and MOAA urge Congress and the VA to work together to provide the necessary support for veterans affected by toxic exposures.
“This report provides a crucial blueprint for necessary refinement and reforms to reach all who are in need,” MOAA President and CEO Lt. Brian T. Brian Kelly, USAF (Ret) said in a news release announcing the report. “It is our duty to ensure the sacrifices made to their health while protecting our freedoms are addressed, with nobody left behind to suffer in silence.”
Read more at https://www.dav.org/ending-the-wait/