Veterans advocates celebrate passage of federal burn pits legislation

Veterans advocates are celebrating this week's passage of federal legislation that will provide relief to military veterans and current service members who have been exposed to toxic substances while serving.

Those toxic substances include the fumes from burning garbage pits in Iraq and Afghanistan that have been implicated in myriad health problems among exposed service members.

The bipartisan Honoring Our PACT Act passed by a wide margin less than a week after GOP senators had blocked the bill's passage.

President Joe Biden next week is expected to sign the legislation, which will expand medical care eligibility to some 3.5 million veterans and service members as well as ease the burden of proof on veterans to prove certain medical conditions were caused by burn pits.

"When we ask our service members to sacrifice for us in order to defend our nation, we make a promise that we're going to give them the support when they get home," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, an early advocate for burn pit victims.

"We have seen infuriating stories about sick veterans who are forced to jump through hoops to prove the obvious: that their illnesses were connected to their service. ... We are turning the page on that shameful chapter of our history."

The legislation also will help Department of Veterans Affairs workers treat illnesses related to burn pits and other toxic substances, and train them how to process burn pit-related disability claims.

Ramsey County Board Chair Trista MatasCastillo, who is a military veteran, will attend Biden's signing Monday after having authored a resolution for the National Association of Counties to support the federal legislation.

MatasCastillo's husband, Hector, developed lung nodules after exposure to burn pits in Iraq with the Army Rangers, and her uncle was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. She said the legislation will help veterans get benefits even when it can take years for certain cancers and illnesses to appear.

"The burden was solely on the veterans to prove the illness was service-connected, and it's so hard to do," MatasCastillo said. "This allows for a presumption of eligibility to veterans so they can get care they need."

Amanda Barbosa of St. Paul — whose husband, former Army helicopter pilot Rafael Barbosa, was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer last year at age 41 after burn pit exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan — spent 55 hours straight on the steps of the U.S. Capitol last week, protesting the legislation being blocked.

"It's very much the Agent Orange of this generation," said Barbosa, who also will visit the White House on Monday. "This bill will take some of that burden off so [sick veterans] can focus on healing, so their families can focus on grieving, and so sick and dying service members don't have to worry about the outcome with their family."

Star Tribune reporter Shannon Prather contributed to this story.