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Veterans: Help Create the Burn Pits Registry

Earlier this year President Obama signed into law a bill I wrote to create a registry of military service members and veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes from open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I have been working closely with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make sure it has the registry up and running quickly, and to ensure it meets the needs of our veterans.

The VA is currently seeking input from veterans about a Web-based questionnaire that will be used to create the Open Burn Pit Registry and report health concerns related to burn pit exposure.

If you are an individual or group impacted by open-air burn pits, I encourage you to provide feedback to the VA. Doing so can help veterans get their information into the registry more quickly and accurately.

Tell them if the draft questionnaire asks the right questions, and please offer suggestions on how to improve it.

The draft questionnaire is available at the VA's website at http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/action-plan.asp .

You have until August 20, 2013, to submit your comments. You can do so by emailing cynthia.harvey-pryor@va.gov or by mailing your comments to Cynthia Harvey-Pryor, Veterans Health Administration (10B4), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, D.C. 20420.

This is just a draft of the questionnaire - your feedback will help the VA improve how it's written. You don't need to fill it out yet - at this stage, the VA needs your comments about the quality, clarity of questions, overall length, and any other relevant suggestions.

Once the registry has been created, the VA will announce how to sign up, and you can be sure I'll be working to make sure the VA is meeting the requirements of the act, and doing everything it can to increase its ability to serve veterans who have become sick because they were exposed to burn pits.

Photo: U.S. Department of Defense

When the Open Burn Pits Registry is up and running, it will help VA monitor veterans'  health, keep veterans informed about studies and treatments, and improve programs to help veterans who are concerned that they may have been exposed to toxic chemicals while they were deployed.

The registry will be similar to those created for Agent Orange and the Gulf War, and it will be open to eligible veterans who may have been exposed to airborne hazards in the Persian Gulf region.

I was proud to work with Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and congressional leaders in both parties to get this bill signed into law, and I look forward to seeing it through for our veterans. Just as they have answered the call of duty for our country, we must answer their call for the information and treatment they have earned.

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