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New Ruling Affects Thousands of Veterans
February 15, 2018
USVCP Staff
U.S. military personnel and U.S. private contractors whose health was compromised by the carcinogenic dense black smoke of raging burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, and who were then denied proper treatment from the VA may finally be vindicated by a recent court ruling.
A judge under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office for Workers’ Compensation Programs decreed January 2018 that open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, where harmful chemicals were released into the surrounding air after trash and other waste were incinerated at American military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan are directly connected to many lung diseases, and other respiratory ailments.
The judge’s decision will make a significant difference in the lives of nearly 65,000 servicemembers and retirees who registered in the Burn Pit Registry created by the Veterans Administration (VA). The judge’s decision brings them one step closer to getting adequate medical coverage, and other VA benefits.
Those in the veteran and active military community feel that the ruling will help to shine an overdue light on the complications that have arisen for those exposed to burn pit fumes while serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If you have been affected by burn pit fumes, or want more details about this court decision contact your VSO or nearest VA as soon as possible.
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