{"id":76261,"date":"2024-04-16T18:41:48","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T18:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:22:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:22:29","slug":"senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of Senate Democrats is imploring Veterans Affairs officials to fix how they handle constrictive bronchiolitis and hypertension claims under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2024\/02\/01\/va-eyes-more-medical-care-for-vets-with-toxic-exposure-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\">new toxic exposure benefits legislation<\/a>, saying that too many veterans are left without help due to confusing department rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a letter to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/military-honor\/salute-veterans\/2023\/11\/08\/mcdonough-wants-va-to-reach-every-veteran-in-the-country\/\" target=\"_blank\">VA Secretary Denis McDonough<\/a> on Monday, 18 senators \u2014 led by Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont. \u2014 said the issues need to be addressed quickly to ensure that thousands of veterans receive the compensation they deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVeterans have waited decades for benefits and recognitions for health conditions related to their toxic exposure,\u201d the group wrote. \u201cOutdated VA regulations should not deny them earned benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The problem relates to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2022\/12\/12\/va-starting-work-on-terminally-ill-vets-pact-act-claims-immediately\/\" target=\"_blank\">the PACT Act<\/a>, legislation passed in 2022 which dramatically expanded veterans\u2019 eligibility for disability benefits related to injuries from military toxins like chemical defoliants and burn pit smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2024\/02\/01\/va-eyes-more-medical-care-for-vets-with-toxic-exposure-issues\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/113326.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">VA eyes more medical care for vets with toxic exposure issues<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Officials will speed up portions of the PACT Act to allow enrollment of thousands of veterans into VA health care next month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the last 20 months, the department has accepted nearly 900,000 claims under the legislation, an approval rate of about 75%. But individuals filing claims related to constrictive bronchiolitis or hypertension continue to struggle to navigate the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, McDonough acknowledged a significant number of \u201c0%, service-connected ratings\u201d for veterans dealing with hypertension and said officials are looking into the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such ratings create an official record of a health issue in a veterans file but not not make them eligible for any compensation. Higher disability ratings can result in hundreds or thousands of dollars a month in financial support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Senators said that advocates have told them that many hypertension claims are being rated as 0% or non-disabling because individuals are already managing the condition through prescriptions or other medical care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVA\u2019s regulations require all hypertension diagnoses to be confirmed by readings taken two or more times on at least three different days,\u201d they wrote. \u201cRequiring veterans to locate blood readings from decades ago \u2014 or worse, incentivizing them to go off their medications \u2014 to prove they still have hypertension is overburdensome and dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans submitting constrictive bronchiolitis claims face a similar but separate problem. The respiratory illness is difficult to diagnose without an invasive procedure, and VA rules prohibit combining ratings from that condition with other respiratory problems. The result is often an effective 0% rating for that issue, despite the breathing problems it causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/nation\/the-va-has-vowed-to-fix-how-veterans-receive-disability-benefits-for-this-burn-pit-injury-critics-say-its-taking-too-long\" target=\"_blank\">Under Secretary for Benefits Joshua Jacobs told PBS<\/a> that officials are working on a fix for the constrictive bronchiolitis, but it may take until this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In their letter, the senators said they want action sooner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Tuesday\u2019s hearing, McDonough said that officials are looking into the concerns outlined in the letter but may need legislative action to help address them, particularly when it comes to the constrictive bronchiolitis issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":107097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":62,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,7,23,12,26,62,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3222],"class_list":["post-76261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-education-transition","category-home","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5X3UDG27F5GXHNCAYSVQ6AILQ4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-16T18:41:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T15:22:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-04-16T18:41:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T15:22:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 462,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Education &amp; Transition\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                \"Veterans\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2024-04-16T18:41:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T15:22:29+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/16\\\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon &amp; Congress\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/pentagon-congress\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"pentagon-congress\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims - Navy Times","description":"A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims","og_description":"A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2024-04-16T18:41:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T15:22:29+00:00","author":"Leo Shane III","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leo Shane III","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims","datePublished":"2024-04-16T18:41:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T15:22:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/"},"wordCount":462,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Education &amp; Transition","Home","News","Newsletters","Pentagon &amp; Congress","Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/","name":"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-16T18:41:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T15:22:29+00:00","description":"A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/04\/16\/senators-push-va-to-fix-problems-with-vets-toxic-exposure-claims\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pentagon &amp; Congress","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/","ad_zone":"pentagon-congress"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Senators push VA to fix problems with vets\u2019 toxic exposure claims"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP060615023698.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76261"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76286,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76261\/revisions\/76286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76261"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=76261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}