The thousands of U.S. military personnel and private
contractors whose health was compromised by the dense black smoke of
burn pits -- and who were then denied proper treatment -- may finally be
vindicated by a recent court ruling.
The decision marks a victory for the nearly 64,000 active service members and retirees who have put their names on a Burn Pit Registry created
by the Veterans Administration, bringing them one step closer to
getting adequate medical coverage, something that has never been
guaranteed. Private contractors who were also exposed to the burn pit
toxins also have been denied coverage.
"This case has legitimized the disease," former contractor Veronica
Landry of Colorado Springs, whose case was a part of the recent ruling,
told Fox News. "There are many people out there who are still not
getting the treatment they need.
"This ruling changes that."
Soldiers have fallen gravely ill or even died from exposure to burn
pits in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they are not the only ones who have
gotten sick. Civilian workers and private contractors like Landry are
also suffering an array of maladies including cancer, respiratory
problems and blood disorders and, like military victims, they say they
are being ignored.
But private employees don't even have the Veterans Administration to
lean on. Landry filed her case with the Labor Department for this very
reason.
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