President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a bill into law expanding health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.
The White House says the PACT Act is the most significant expansion of veteran health care in 30 years.
"When they came home, many of the fittest and best warriors that went to war were not the same," Biden said before signing the bill.
It's a move supported by many veterans, including in North Alabama.
"I think it's very long overdue," veteran William Carter said. "I retired out in '08, and I haven't seen much change with the VA system, and it's hard to get things done through the VA most of the time."
"We are excited this bill did pass," veteran Brian Monk said. "It is long overdue, and we do deserve it. We do deserve to be taken care of. For the most part, if we can manage that, then we know we have someone to go to — that when we do start feeling sick from whatever illness we got from going to Afghanistan, Iraq, across the country — that they will take care of us. That's the big thing."
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, the PACT Act will in part:
- Expand and extend eligibility for VA health care for veterans with toxic exposures;
- Require the VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA health care; and
- Improve research, education and treatment.
"All that is being released into the air, you're breathing it on day in and day out. This is a phenomenal breakthrough," veteran Adam Brown said. "This is going to hopefully prevent the 'Global War on Terrorism' generation from going through the same thing that the Vietnam veterans went though."
The VA estimates nearly 3.5 million U.S military members could have been exposed to burn pits.
According to WebMD, smoke and fumes from those burn pits can be toxic, and exposure can cause short- and long-term health problems.
"I am hoping, with the bill passing, they will actually take and do some good with it and not just be another, 'Oh, let's file this claim on it, but yet let's get denied 57 times before you finally get approved,'" Monk said. "Most veterans, we file claims for what's wrong with us, we keep getting denied and we eventually give up."
The White House says the PACT Act is named in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robison, who died from a rare form of lung cancer.
This law is also very personal for Biden, who said he believes toxins may have contributed to his son Beau's brain cancer.
Beau passed away in 2015.
If you'd like to read more on the PACT Act, click .
