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S. 437: Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021

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S. 437: Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021

117th Congress · introduced 2021-02-24 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-02-24 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021

Plain summary

Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to concede, for the purposes of health care benefits and wartime disability compensation, that a veteran was exposed to certain toxic substances, chemicals, and hazards from burn pits if such veteran served on active duty in a covered location during a specified time frame (unless there is affirmative evidence to establish that the veteran was not exposed during such service). A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment. Specifically, the bill covers the following locations and corresponding time periods: Iraq between August 2, 1990, and February 28, 1991, as well as from March 19, 2003, until burn pits are no longer used in this location; Southwest Asia (including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar) from August 2, 1990, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations; and Afghanistan, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, and Djibouti from September 11, 2001, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations. Under the bill, if an exposed veteran submits insufficient evidence to establish a service-connection for purposes of disability compensation, the VA shall provide a medical examination and request a medical opinion regarding a causal link between the disability and a toxin, chemical, or hazard.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] · 38 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Thom Tillis (R-NC), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), James E. Risch (R-ID), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Boozman (R-AR), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Cornyn (R-TX), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Todd Young (R-IN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Gary C. Peters (D-MI), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Rick Scott (R-FL)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] reported raising $11.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-s437 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117