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Welch pushes to extend PACT Act protections to Iran war veterans
WASHINGTON (WCAX) - Vermont Sen. Peter Welch is pushing to make sure veterans of the ongoing Iran war can access available benefits.
Welch and his colleagues in the Senate introduced legislation to ensure that Iran veterans are covered under the PACT Act.
Since its enactment in 2022, more than 7 million veterans have been screened for toxic exposures thanks to the PACT Act.
WCAX first began reporting on the deadly impacts of open-air trash fires in 2018, after witnessing veterans living and working near them in Afghanistan in 2010. Soldiers breathed in the smoke that hung over the bases. Many got sick, and many died.
Welch’s new legislation would make it easier for service members exposed to those toxic substances to access the treatment they need when they get home.
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