Biden visits Delaware to spread awareness of new benefits for veterans exposed to toxins

President Joe Biden came home Friday to speak to veterans at the Maj. Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center about the passage of the PACT Act, which provides increased benefits to veterans who have been exposed to toxins while serving in the U.S. military.

He was joined near New Castle by Delaware’s congressional delegation, Gov. John Carney and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough.

Biden: Determined to help

“We are determined to do something about this, come hell or high water,” Biden said.

BACKGROUND:Biden signs 'long overdue' PACT Act to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits

Biden brought the issue of toxic exposure to national attention during his State of the Union address, in which he directly mentioned burn pits — piles where U.S. military bases in the Middle East would burn their trash to dispose of it — and their potential connection to his son's fatal brain cancer.

While Biden made it clear that the issue of burn pits and toxic exposure was “not unique to (him) and (his) family,” U.S. Sen. Tom Carper said it was the president's call to action about burn pits that "just changed everything."

Carper explained that although the PACT Act was signed into law in August, many veterans don't know about the benefits available to them.

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Carper is the last Vietnam veteran serving in the Senate and hosts an annual Veterans Summit to bring together government and military leaders. This year's summit coincided with the VA’s PACT Act Week of Action, which launched as an awareness campaign to encourage qualifying veterans to register for health care and benefits.

Finding veterans help

Kim Butler, associate director of operations for the Wilmington VA Medical Center in Elsmere, said that over 40% of veterans in the region who were screened for toxic exposure qualified for benefits, which extend to their immediate families. Many of these veterans served pre-9/11 and were exposed to toxins like Agent Orange in Vietnam.

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But with widespread misconceptions and lack of awareness about the VA's resources, Butler said veterans of all ages often don't take advantage of the benefits offered to them.

For others, there's a "military ethos" that stands in the way of asking for help, VA Secretary McDonough said. He's met many veterans who "feel that they shouldn't file a claim because they don't want to take assistance that might go to another veteran."

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In other cases — especially when it came to health problems like asthma or bronchitis caused by toxic exposure — a sense of needing to show "proof" kept many from seeking or receiving benefits. McDonough emphasized that this was no longer the case, and said the administration is specifically working to reach out to traditionally underserved veterans, like women, people of color and members of tribal nations.

"We have a lot of obligations as Americans, but only one sacred obligation," Biden said. "That is to prepare those we send to war, and to care for them and their families when they return."

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Biden tells veterans in Delaware about new benefits for toxic exposure