WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs added nine rare respiratory cancers to its list of diseases that qualify for benefits due to toxic exposure, a move that will make it easier for veterans who served near burn pits to receive care and benefits.
The department’s interim final rule will apply to veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War and the war in Afghanistan, among others, and comes as Congress debates legislation to expand health care to veterans who experienced toxic exposure and the White House pushes the effort.
The VA first proposed the rule after President Joe Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address, when the president called on Congress to do more to help veterans who served near burn pits. The president’s son, Beau Biden, died of a rare brain cancer after serving near a burn pit in Iraq.
