Veterans asked to fill in survey on toxic exposure

The U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is hosting a roundtable on efforts to address toxic exposure at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Veterans who wish to share their experience with toxic exposure with the committee before the roundtable can fill out an online survey.

The roundtable, “The True Cost of our Promise to Toxic-Exposed Veterans,” is to be livestreamed on YouTube. All hearing documents are on the Committee Repository.

Representatives from 11 veterans service organizations are expected to discuss during the roundtable the Honoring Our PACT Act, a bipartisan measure recognizing toxic exposure as a cost of war. The act approved by the committee last summer has 70 co-sponsors.

Congressman Mark Takano, D-Calif., is chairman of the committee.

“It’s a new year, but I have not relented one bit on my promise to pass legislation to finally recognize toxic exposure as a cost of war this Congress. That’s why I’m grateful for the opportunity to host a roundtable next week to check in with Veterans Service Organizations and advocates on our efforts,” said Takano in a statement.

“We made a promise to servicemembers when we sent them into harm’s way that we would care for them when they came home. The (Congressional Budget Office) estimate is in— we now know the true cost of that promise, and we cannot renege on our responsibility. When we go to war we don’t nickel and dime the Department of Defense, and we cannot try to pinch pennies when it comes to covering the care for toxic-exposed veterans. It’s time for us to hold up our end of the deal by passing my bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act.”