One of New York’s U.S. Senators was among those in attendance Wednesday for the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.
While there, Kirsten Gillibrand announced newly proposed legislation to improve research into health outcomes for female veterans. The Toxic Exposure and Women Veterans’ Health Outcomes Act would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) to study how burn pits can impact women's health.
"The VA has never conducted large-scale research into the broader health effects of toxic exposure on female veterans, specifically on infertility, premature menopause, birth defects for the next generation and developmental disabilities for their children," Gillibrand said. "That is simply outrageous."
The goal of the bill is to eventually expand care for women who have been exposed to burn pits and to provide more information to veterans on the health conditions they may be living with.
Additionally, Gillibrand reaffirmed her commitment to veterans and called for passage of the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act. It would end a retirement pay offset that currently reduces compensation to veterans who retire due to combat or combat-related injuries. Gillibrand is hopeful the bill will pass this January when a new Congress comes into session.
Gillibrand said on Wednesday the bill "would make sure every veteran can get the full DoD retirement benefits that they are owed. This is very good news because come January, I believe we will have a real chance to get this critical bill across the finish line and pass it into law.”
These veterans, according to the Wounded Warrior Project, see their DoD retirement pay offset "dollar for dollar – by the amount of VA disability pay they receive, resulting in some veterans receiving no retirement benefits at all."
