Veterans with health issues related to exposure to so-called "forever chemicals" would have an easier time getting Department of Veterans Affairs health care and benefits under a plan backed by Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.
As part of an economic agenda aimed at Latino men, Harris endorsed a bill introduced last year by congressional Democrats that would designate several health conditions as presumed to be linked to military service if the veteran was exposed to a class of chemicals collectively known as PFAS.
"As president, she will work with Congress to pass the Veterans Exposed to Toxic (VET) PFAS Act, which will provide benefits to thousands of Latino veterans exposed to forever chemicals like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at military installations," the plan from Harris' campaign says.
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The bill names six specific conditions that would be considered presumed to be linked to military service if the veteran served at a base with PFAS contamination: diagnosed high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
While the announcement came in a plan targeting Latino voters, the bill would apply to all veterans and is one of the first concrete proposals from Harris' campaign related to veterans issues. It comes as both Harris and GOP nominee former President Donald Trump work to court Latino voters in the final stretch of the race before the Nov. 5 election.
Studies have shown communities of color, including Latino populations, are at higher risk for exposure to PFAS in contaminated drinking water than other communities.
In the military, 50 years of using firefighting foam containing PFAS contributed to contaminating water on or near hundreds of bases. The Pentagon, which is in the process of studying the extent of contamination at 710 sites, was ordered by Congress to stop using PFAS-containing foam by this month, though the department requested a waiver for one more year.
PFAS have been dubbed forever chemicals because they do not break down in the environment and in the human body for decades. The chemicals have been linked to several health issues, including liver damage, immune system problems, thyroid disease and cancer.
Last month, the VA announced it was starting the process to determine whether kidney cancer should be designated a presumptive service-connected condition. A presumptive designation makes it easier for veterans to collect disability benefits because it takes the burden off of them to prove their ailment is connected to their military service.
The VA's announcement was among the first times the department has used a fast-tracked process established by the PACT Act -- landmark 2022 legislation that gave millions of veterans a pathway to disability compensation for exposure to environmental hazards -- to designate new presumptive conditions.
The bill being backed by Harris would preempt the recent VA move and go further by designating the six conditions without the need for further study.
The bill would also expand eligibility for VA health care for veterans with those conditions, as well as allow veterans' family members who also lived at PFAS-contaminated bases to get some care at the VA.
The bill was introduced last year by Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Dan Kildee, both Democrats from Michigan. With more than 11,000 sites with potential PFAS pollution, Michigan is among the states with the highest levels of contamination. It is also a key swing state in an election where Harris and Trump are polling neck and neck.
When the bill was introduced in Congress last year, veterans groups including the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans of America, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America threw their support behind what they called a "vitally important," "much-needed" and "critical" proposal.
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