VA expands cancer coverage for vets exposed to burn pits

The Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday added several more cancers to its list of ailments presumed to be caused by in-service exposure to burn pits, lowering the burden of proof for ailing veterans to receive no-cost care and other benefits.

The illnesses added to the list include acute and chronic leukemias, multiple myelomas, myelodysplastic syndromes, myelofibrosis, urinary bladder, ureter and related genitourinary cancers.
Wednesday’s action builds on President Joe Biden’s “Unity Agenda” and specifically his signing the PACT Act into law in 2022.

The PACT Act, the largest expansion of veteran benefits in decades, made millions of former servicemen and women eligible for health care and benefits years earlier than mandated by existing law at the time.