Watch Senator Rosen’s Exchange HERE.
WASHINGTON, DC – During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Jacky Rosen (NV) secured a commitment from senior Air Force officials to take action to address critical gaps in care and benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxins and radiation at classified locations, including six in Nevada alone that the Department of Energy recognizes as exposure zones. Senator Rosen highlighted how servicemembers have been denied care because the Pentagon has neglected to similarly recognize their contaminated worksites as exposure zones, despite decades of nuclear testing and documented hazards.
Earlier this week, Senator Rosen also urged immediate action in a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and top Pentagon officials imploring them to investigate the matter and ensure veterans receive the care they deserve. This follows an exchange she had on this topic with General Dan Caine in his nomination hearing earlier this year to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“Several constituents have brought to my attention that they were exposed to radiation and toxic substances– including emissions from burn pits used to dispose of debris from developmental aircraft– while stationed at NTTR [Nevada Test and Training Range],” wrote Senator Rosen in the letter. “However, because of the classified nature of their assignments, they cannot substantiate their presence or exposure.”
“I urge the Department to conduct a comprehensive review to determine whether veterans who served at classified or data-masked locations have portions of their medical records similarly classified or otherwise inaccessible to the VA,” she continued. “If such restrictions exist, I request that the Department develop a secure and efficient process– coordinated with the VA– to ensure that relevant health information can be shared for the purposes of care and benefits adjudication, while still protecting the sensitive nature of the veteran’s service. No veteran should be denied care because their records are locked behind classification barriers.”
The full letter can be found HERE.
Below is the transcript of Senator Rosen’s exchange with the Secretary of the Air Force during the hearing:
Senator Rosen: I have heard from constituents who served at such locations within the Nevada Test and Training Range, who believe they were exposed to radiation from our days of conducting explosive nuclear weapons testing, and to toxins from burn pits which disposed of classified waste. However, [the Department of Defense] does not classify the range as a place where exposure occurred – despite the Department of Energy providing a presumption of exposure for their personnel who served at these exact same locations within the range, such as the Tonopah Test Range. And, because their service records are Data Masked, these veterans can’t even prove to the VA that they were ever stationed there. Imagine that?
All of this has prevented them from being able to receive the veterans’ benefits they deserve. Secretary Meink and General Allvin … will you work with me and this committee to ensure that the Department of the Air Force both provides a presumption of exposure at relevant Air Force locations, where the Department of Energy has done so for their personnel, and ensure that those who served—or are currently serving—at these sites receive sufficient documentation to support health-related claims, all while protecting the classified nature of their service?
Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink: Yes, Senator, we take the health of our workforce seriously and we need to deal with this issue.
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