As it treats veterans exposed to the hazards of burn pits, the Veterans Health Administration is also trying to better understand the burn pit phenomenon.
As it treats veterans exposed to the hazards of burn pits, the Veterans Health Administration is also trying to better understand the burn pit phenomenon. That’s where the burn pit registry comes in. It’s database with information on veterans and their burn pit-related maladies. Joining the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more about the burn pit registry and some recent updates to it, VA’s undersecretary for health, Dr. Shereef Elnahal.
Interview transcript: Tom Temin
And let’s begin with the beginning. What is the burn pit registry? And tell us what it is and how it works. Let’s start there. Shereef Elnahal
Well, I’ll start by describing the law that enabled us to do this, which is the Pact Act. The Pact Act was signed by President Biden in August of 2022, and that law allowed us to finally meet the extensive needs of veterans exposed to toxic substances like bird pits, more veterans who are exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam and other toxic substances. And since that law was passed, we’ve enrolled more than 740,000 new veterans into the system, which is a 34% increase over the two-year period before the Pact Act was signed. Join us on Oct. 1 and 2 for Federal News Network’s Cyber Leader Exchange where we’ll dive into how agencies are strengthening federal cyber capabilities. Tom Temin
And you bring a good point up too, and that is, I think people think of burn pits as something recent. But you mentioned they go back to Vietnam. This was a military response to getting rid of stuff. Shereef Elnahal
Yeah, burn pits, unfortunately, if you see pictures of them, large clouds of black smoke, because all of the waste and refuse in some of these stationed areas in Central Command were dumped into these large pits and then burned. So it’s not hard to imagine that people would have significant issues, especially respiratory problems, problems […]
CBD Isolate Gummies—Extract Labs, Colorado, USA, 2024
Courtesy of Extract Labs 97 points out of 100 Price:
