2 Years Since the PACT Act Was Signed, Vets Are Getting More Support but Hurdles Remain

War comes at an agonizing cost. Our nation mourns the service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and our hearts ache for the veterans who have lost limbs and bear scars from their service.

These are the physical markers of the hazards from the battlefield, but not all the hazards of war are left behind when a service member returns home. Unfortunately, we have learned from generations of veterans the creeping, silent danger of toxic exposures.

Toxic exposures have come in the form of mustard gas, Agent Orange and, for post-9/11 veterans, burn pits.

The toxins troops breathe in or touch during their service leave veterans at risk of developing severe and even deadly illnesses after they take off the uniform. While they are harder to detect and delayed in onset, the illnesses caused by toxic exposure are a cost of war.

As a nation, we have a responsibility to care for our veterans and offer the help they need to heal or bear the wounds of war. Through the advocacy of toxic-exposed veterans and their family members, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and I created legislation that would provide toxic-exposed veterans with health care to treat and prevent illnesses brought about by their service.