Reps. Salazar and Castro Press VA to Extend PACT Act Benefits to Panama Canal Zone Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Joaquin Castro (D-TX) led a bipartisan group of 17 members of the House of Representatives in a letter urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand benefits and services for veterans who developed cancer and other health conditions after exposure to toxic herbicide during service in the Panama Canal Zone (PCZ).

“At least 400 veterans who served in the Panama Canal Zone (PCZ) have now developed cancer, heart disease, or other health issues consistent with herbicide exposure. However, they have been consistently denied the disability compensation and recognition they desperately need and deserve… We strongly urge you to use the processes within the PACT Act to provide PCZ Veterans with the compensation they earned and need. We look forward to working together to ensure all our veterans receive the compensation they deserve,” the members wrote.

In 2022, Congress passed the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act, which extended the presumption of service connection for certain diseases associated with herbicide exposure to veterans who served offshore of Vietnam and near the Korean DMZ. While the PACT Act did not extend the same presumption to PCZ veterans, it did provide the Department of Veterans Affairs with the authority and independence to expand service-connected presumption to eligible groups of veterans. In Friday’s letter, the members urged VA Secretary Denis McDonough to use his authority to extend PACT Act benefits to PCZ veterans.

To permanently support the needs of PCZ veterans, Salazar and Castro have also introduced the Panama Canal Zone Veterans Act, which would establish a statutory presumption of service connection for more than a dozen illnesses and conditions associated with exposure to herbicide in the PCZ between 1958-1999.

Other members who signed on to the letter include Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Kat Cammack (R-FL), André Carson (D-IN), Greg Casar (D-TX), Danny Davis (D-IL), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Al Green (D-TX), Thomas Kean (R-NJ), Susie Lee (D-NV), Brian Mast (R-FL), Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), James Moylan (R-GU), Eleanor Norton (D-DC), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Dina Titus (D-NV), and David Trone (D-MD).

The full letter can be found here.

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