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U.S. Congressman Mark Takano said during a visit to Maui that a recently signed law will help veterans who experienced toxic exposure during war to access benefits and health care.
The Democratic lawmaker from California, who chairs the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, stopped by the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center this week.
"Our veterans have given so much to this country," Takano said in a news release. "My 'Honoring our PACT Act,' recently signed into law by President Biden, is about honoring the sacred promise we have made to American veterans and delivering the most comprehensive toxic exposure legislation to date."
The PACT Act, authored by Takano and signed by Biden on Aug. 10, expands Veterans Affairs health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances, according to the VA. It adds more than 20 new presumptive conditions for burn pits and other toxic exposures, as well as presumptive-exposure locations for Agent Orange and radiation. Presumptive conditions mean the veteran does not have to prove their service caused the condition; they only need to meet the service requirements.
The law requires the VA to provide a toxic exposure screening to every veteran enrolled in VA health care and also helps the VA improve research, staff education and treatment related to toxic exposure.
"As I've traveled across the district, veterans have expressed appreciation for the passage of this Act and now being able to qualify for additional VA care and benefits," said Jill Tokuda, the external director for the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center who recently won the Democratic nomination for Congressional District 2.
Takano said the measure also includes "The Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act," which allows veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll to be eligible for veteran health care services, according to the news release. Previously, veterans who did not physically serve in Vietnam weren't eligible for certain benefits.
Takai was a veteran and Congressman from Hawaii who died of pancreatic cancer at age 49 in 2016.
For more information on the law and how to access benefits, visit www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/.