Jon Stewart Leads Renewed Fight for Burn Pit Victims
September 09, 2020
A familiar face is back on Capitol Hill fighting for Veterans Benefits. Jon Stewart, former host of “The Daily Show” and notable Veterans advocate; is back in Washington leading a renewed fight for Burn Pit Victim Benefits.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Stewart was joined by numerous families of deceased and dying veterans whose rare illnesses are still not officially recognized by federal officials because of exposure to Burn Pits.
The event on Tuesday coincided with new legislation introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif. This new legislation would grant presumptive benefit status for any veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Middle East conflicts. This will also include a host of overseas military sites where burn pits were frequently used.
If passed, as many as 3.5 million veterans will be eligible for benefits if they show signs of serious and uncommon illnesses believed to be the result of toxic fumes.
Criticisms of the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding their handling of Burn Pit victims is nothing new. In fact, Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC has discussed this topic on various occasions. But for years, VA has insisted that individuals prove a direct connection between the toxic fumes they inhaled during deployments and rare cancers/respiratory illnesses they have developed since then.
Rosie Torres, executive director of Burn Pits 360, stated after ten plus years of advocacy work on Capitol Hill, only a few significant measures have passed into law; even those with significant flaws. For example, VA’s burn pit registry contains more than 200,000 individuals who claim serious health complications related to open-air burn pits. Only a small fraction of those names have received any compensation, Torres said.
This slow-moving progress accomplishes nothing but leaves more veterans sick and dying due to their service; and if we are not timely, legislation may come too late. But Stewart and the numerous advocates from Tuesday’s demonstration vowed if this legislation is shot down; they will be back next year and the year after that until their efforts are recognized. What are your thoughts on the VA and DoD’s actions on Burn Pit legislation?
You may also like this Veterans Radio Podcast from 2017. Host Jim Fausone interviewed then-Strategies and Communications Liaison, Dan Sullivan from Burn Pits 360 regarding the organization’s involvement and the overall lack of legislation covering Burn Pit victim benefits. Full episode below: