Lawmakers want the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to stop keeping veterans in the dark about which toxic exposure illnesses the federal agency is quietly studying behind closed doors.
U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Presumptive Clear Legal Assessment and Review of Illnesses from Toxic Exposure Yields (CLARITY) Act in early November. If passed it would require the VA to establish a public website to educate veterans exposed to toxins on processes the agency uses to determine which conditions are correlated with military toxic exposures.
The website would theoretically be updated if the VA adds or removes exposures or conditions, and would provide veterans input as such a website currently doesn’t exist.
“This measure guarantees essential information to veterans suffering from toxic exposure-related illnesses,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “They need and deserve to know whether their specific condition qualifies for PACT Act presumptive care and benefits. This is especially critical as the VA is reportedly rolling back coverage of conditions without scientific evidence.”
Some lawmakers say the change would end years of silence from an agency accused of operating behind closed doors and give veterans clarity on decisions that shape their health care and disability benefits. Congress is trying to pull back the curtain on how the VA handles toxic-exposure illnesses after years of veterans saying they cannot get straight answers about the conditions under review.
Costing Time and Health
Advocacy and research groups said the bill could provide clarity for veterans struggling with illnesses tied to burn pits, chemical exposure, contaminated water, hazardous waste and PFAS—the latter of which is shorthand for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances that are man-made and routinely called “forever chemicals” leading to negative health effects.
“Many service members and their families have been exposed to toxic chemicals while living on bases right here in the United States,” Jared Hayes, senior policy analyst at the Environmental Working Group, told Military.com. “The Pentagon along with the VA can and should do a better job of tracking environmental exposures to a wide range of contaminants, and informing the individuals what the long-term health impacts might be.”
Hayes said veterans, caregivers and communities “need greater transparency and institutional accountability.”
A Push to Reveal What’s Hiding
The legislation arrives after years of complaints from veterans who say the VA often evaluates toxic-exposure illnesses behind closed doors. Families receive little insight into where their illnesses lie in the review pipeline, or whether the VA is even considering them.
“Transparency is necessary for accountability,” Meagan Whalen, spokesperson for House Veterans’ Affairs Committee ranking member Mark Takano (D-CA), told Military.com. “Congress requires it to carry out oversight duties of VA and veterans require it to know how the VA is supporting them.
“Unfortunately, that transparency has been in short supply with this administration as we have seen with their attempt to hide their repeal of the male breast cancer presumption.”
Whalen said Democrats already included similar transparency mandates in VA authorization legislation, but “House Republicans are playing games with that legislation, and it has stalled.”
Military.com also reached out to House Committee chair Mike Bost (R-IL) for comment.
Why Veterans Say the Clock Ran Out on Patience
Veterans groups have pushed for clearer answers as illnesses believed to be tied to service continue to emerge across generations. Burn pit exposure, fuel leaks, chemical sites, and contaminated drinking water have forced veterans and families to search for answers with limited information about where their conditions stand in VA reviews.
Researchers warn that inconsistent public information and slow review timelines leave veterans guessing. Some families discover years later that their illness was under VA review even though no public record existed.
How the PACT Act Changed the Landscape
The PACT Act reshaped toxic-exposure benefits on a scale veterans had not seen in decades. Congress passed the law in 2022 after years of pressure from advocates—notably The Daily Show host Jon Stewart— who said burn pits, chemical sites and contaminated water created a generation of sick veterans who struggled to get answers.
The law added dozens of illnesses to the VA’s presumptive list, expanded eligibility for millions of veterans, and required the department to overhaul how it evaluates exposure claims. It also forced the VA to assume certain conditions were tied to service rather than asking veterans to prove the connection.
It also triggered a surge in new claims as veterans rushed to figure out whether their conditions finally qualified for care. Many said the PACT Act gave them the first hope that Washington recognized the health crisis tied to modern warfare.
How VA’s History with Burn Pit Illnesses Set the Stage
The VA’s approach to burn pit illnesses has frustrated veterans for more than a decade.
Many service members who lived near burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan returned home with unexplained respiratory problems, chronic coughs, rare cancers and autoimmune conditions. Families said the connection seemed clear. The VA said it needed more evidence.
Reviews moved slowly as the VA often relied on limited studies and incomplete exposure records. Veterans said the system left them stuck in limbo, unable to prove what they inhaled or how long they were exposed. Many learned that official deployment records needed to show their exact proximity to burn pits, even though those maps were rarely public.
The agency denied most burn pit claims for years. Advocates described a process where veterans had to prove exposures the government did not track and document illnesses that unfolded long after deployments ended. That pattern created deep mistrust and shaped the pressure campaign that eventually produced the PACT Act.
Progress has been made; however, veterans still say they cannot wait years for decisions that should be transparent from the start. The backlog of unanswered questions about which illnesses remain under review is one of the main reasons why the CLARITY Act was drafted earlier this month.
Where They Stand
Several federal agencies contacted by Military.com provided little insight of where they stand on the legislation, or how they view the proposed transparency requirements.
The VA “doesn’t typically comment on pending legislation,” VA spokesperson Pete Kasperowicz, who provided the statement to Military.com.
A Department of War spokesperson provided a similar response. Officials did not elaborate on how the bill might affect the military’s own exposure tracking or coordination with the VA.
The State Department referred all inquiries to the White House. The White House pointed Military.com to previous presidential remarks without offering new information. The International Crisis Group said it could not provide analysis before deadline.
Military.com reached out to multiple federal agencies for comment.
Veterans groups say the next phase will determine whether the government finally commits to full transparency or continues a pattern of slow internal reviews that rarely see daylight. Advocates believe the bill’s fate will hinge on whether lawmakers from both parties acknowledge how widespread toxic-exposure illnesses have become.
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