Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021
Latest action · Apr 28, 2021 Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 117-137.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedFeb 24, 2021
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to concede, for the purposes of health care benefits and wartime disability compensation, that a veteran was exposed to certain toxic substances, chemicals, and hazards from burn pits if such veteran served on active duty in a covered location during a specified time frame (unless there is affirmative evidence to establish that the veteran was not exposed during such service). A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment.
Specifically, the bill covers the following locations and corresponding time periods:
- Iraq between August 2, 1990, and February 28, 1991, as well as from March 19, 2003, until burn pits are no longer used in this location;
- Southwest Asia (including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar) from August 2, 1990, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations; and
- Afghanistan, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, and Djibouti from September 11, 2001, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations.
Under the bill, if an exposed veteran submits insufficient evidence to establish a service-connection for purposes of disability compensation, the VA shall provide a medical examination and request a medical opinion regarding a causal link between the disability and a toxin, chemical, or hazard.
Cosponsors 38
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 24, 2021 to Oct 26, 2021; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-WV | Joe Manchin III | Original | Feb 24, 2021 |
| R-ID | James E. Risch | Mar 1, 2021 | |
| R-ND | Kevin Cramer | Mar 1, 2021 | |
| I-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | Mar 1, 2021 | |
| D-NH | Margaret Wood Hassan | Mar 1, 2021 | |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Mar 1, 2021 | |
| R-NC | Thom Tillis | Mar 1, 2021 | |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Mar 5, 2021 | |
| R-ID | Mike Crapo | Mar 5, 2021 | |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-AR | John Boozman | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-TN | Marsha Blackburn | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-OH | Rob Portman | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-KS | Roger Marshall | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-MT | Steve Daines | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Mar 9, 2021 | |
| R-SD | Mike Rounds | Mar 10, 2021 | |
| R-TN | Bill Hagerty | Mar 23, 2021 | |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Mar 23, 2021 | |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Mar 25, 2021 | |
| R-WV | Shelley Moore Capito | Mar 25, 2021 | |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Mar 25, 2021 | |
| R-IN | Todd Young | Mar 25, 2021 | |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Apr 12, 2021 | |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Apr 12, 2021 | |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Apr 12, 2021 | |
| R-TX | Ted Cruz | Apr 20, 2021 | |
| I-ME | Angus S. King Jr. | May 10, 2021 | |
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | May 10, 2021 | |
| R-MS | Cindy Hyde-Smith | May 13, 2021 | |
| R-LA | Bill Cassidy | May 17, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | May 17, 2021 | |
| R-MO | Roy Blunt | May 17, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | May 25, 2021 | |
| R-FL | Rick Scott | Oct 26, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Feb 24, 2021Hearings Apr 28, 2021 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 28, 2021Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 117-137.
- Feb 24, 2021Introduced in Senate
- Feb 24, 2021Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 4
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 117-745 | LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATION OF THE VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES AND MULTI VSOs: IAVA, WWP, VVA, AMVETS, NCHV, SWAN, BVA, BVEC, NASDVA262 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Mar 2, 2022 |
| S. Hrg. 117-137 | HEARING ON PENDING LEGISLATION248 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Apr 28, 2021 |
| S. Hrg. 117-695 | LEGISLATIVE PRESENTATION OF VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE UNITED STATES AND MULTI VSOs: AMVETS, FRA, GSW, NCAI, NABVETS219 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Mar 18, 2021 |
| S. Hrg. 117-93 | MILITARY TOXIC EXPOSURES: THE HUMAN CONSEQUENCES OF WAR120 pages | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Mar 10, 2021 |
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R47542 | Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-168): Expansion of Health Care Eligibility and Toxic Exposure Screenings | Report | Apr 19, 2024 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2436 | Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021 | Related bill | Jul 14, 2021 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to concede exposure to airborne hazards and toxins from burn pits under certain circumstances, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Afghanistan
- Africa
- Air quality
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Asia
- Congressional oversight
- Disability assistance
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Environmental health
- Fires
- Government information and archives
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Middle East
- Military operations and strategy
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Solid waste and recycling
- Syria
- Veterans' medical care
- Veterans' pensions and compensation
- Yemen
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 24, 2021Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
