A U.S. Air Force airman tosses unserviceable uniform items into a burn pit in Balad, Iraq, March 10, 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Julianne Showalter) Iraq War veteran Cynthia Daniels was working as a police officer in Delaware after leaving the Army when she began experiencing shortness of breath. Once an avid runner, she could barely walk from her patrol car to the other vehicle during a traffic stop.
A civilian cardiologist who had read about deployment -related health conditions told her she might have respiratory problems related to the massive burn pits used to destroy garbage during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
She needed a lung biopsy to determine what was wrong because all other tests came back normal.
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"I have constrictive bronchiolitis and all kinds of dust and metal particles embedded in my lungs," Daniels told a crowd assembled Thursday in the House Veterans Affairs Committee room in Washington, D.C., to mark the upcoming anniversary of the PACT Act , legislation that expanded health care and benefits to millions of post-9/11 veterans.
Constrictive bronchiolitis is one of 23 diseases listed in the PACT Act as presumed to be caused by exposure to burn pits. As a presumptive condition, it is supposed to be fast-tracked in the Department of Veterans Affairs ‘ disability claims system, with affected veterans having an easier time applying for and receiving compensation for their service-connected condition.
But the condition is difficult to diagnose, with relatively few doctors understanding the scope of the disease. And of the PACT Act’s listed presumptive illnesses, it is the only one without a proper medical code in the VA’s claims system, presenting a roadblock that keeps sick veterans from receiving timely benefits.
During the panel Thursday, hosted by the American Legion, veterans and physicians said this all must change.
"We need a protocol and a system within the VA to help evaluate these people, and we need disability benefit structure for them as well," said Dr. Robert Miller, a professor at […]
Burn Pit Victims with Rare Lung Disease Struggle to Get VA Care and Benefits
