Rep. Brown Votes to Honor our Promise to Toxic-exposed Veterans

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Shontel M. Brown (OH-11)voted for H.R. 3967, the Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act or Honoring our PACT Act, which will finally treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans’; including access to earned benefits and healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

“I was proud to cast my vote for the bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act. Over three million veterans exposed to burn pits and toxins can now access the care they deserve,” said Rep. Brown. “When we sent our servicemembers into harm’s way, we made a promise that we would take care of them when they came home. With this legislation, we can honor our sacred pact, prioritize veterans, and commit to paying for the true cost of war.” 

The Honoring our PACT Act is a comprehensive legislative package that will open up healthcare to over 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service. It will create presumptions for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers, shifting the burden of proof off our veterans. This means that if a veteran served in a particular theatre at a particular time, they will be presumed to be exposed to toxic substances and therefore potentially eligible for healthcare and benefits. Critically, this bipartisan legislation will also streamline VA’s presumption decision making process, so that Congress does not have to keep intervening, and our veterans don’t have to wait decades for help.  

Leaders from 11 Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) including the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. (VFW), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), The American Legion (TAL), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), Minority Veterans of America (MVA), and Burn Pits 360, among others, support the comprehensive bipartisan package.  

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