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Friends,
One of my top priorities is fighting for North Carolina's brave servicemembers and veterans. As your Senator from North Carolina, I know firsthand the obstacles thousands of veterans who have been exposed to toxicants while serving our country have had to overcome. Veterans stationed at Camp Lejeune spent decades pushing for documentation of their exposure and fair treatment for the damages caused by the military, but this cannot continue to be the norm.
This is why I recently introduced legislation that fundamentally reforms and improves how veterans exposed to toxic substances receive health care and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Specifically, the bill:
- Provides consultation and testing through VA for eligible veterans exposed to toxic substances.
- Requires VA to respond to new scientific evidence regarding diseases associated with toxic exposure within an established timeframe.
- Establishes a scientific commission to research the health effects of toxic exposure in veterans and report the commission’s findings to VA and Congress.
From servicemembers exposed to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune to the servicemembers exposed to toxic burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq, it’s clear the men and women who served our country deserve better. My legislation ensures that all veterans are given a fair and uniform process to receive the health care and benefits to which they are entitled following exposure to toxicants during their service.
Thank you for reading, and as always please reach out to my office if you have any questions or need help with a federal agency and please stay safe.
All the best,
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