Since 2020, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia has led legislative efforts to recognize service-connected illnesses of veteran firefighters, including legislation named after former U.S. Air Force Firefighter Michael Lecik of Virginia.
Today, she called on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to move forward with the formal process of extending benefits to veteran firefighters living with chronic illnesses.
In early 2022, Spanberger voted in favor of the Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in August. The law will extend new benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their U.S. military service, but does not cover military firefighters.
“While the newly enacted Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act does not automatically extend disability benefits to military firefighters, it does create a streamlined process for the VA to establish new presumptions for service connection based on toxic exposures,” Spanberger said in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis R. McDonough. “Specifically, the Honoring Our PACT Act establishes a Working Group comprised of Veterans Health Administration and Veterans Benefits Administration personnel to assess toxic exposures and which conditions might be linked to toxic exposures.”
Spanberger encourages the VA to examine the link between hazards encountered while military firefighting and certain chronic illnesses. She also highlighted how the current process excludes former military firefighters who were exposed to toxic substances and does not allow them to receive veteran benefits that they earned.
According to the press release, Biden recently said: “Cancer is a leading killer of firefighters. Toxic substances [they’ve] been exposed to as part of [their] job are almost certainly — certainly connected to those cancer diagnoses.”
Spanberger and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska reintroduced the Michael Lecik Military Firefighters Protection Act to provide America’s veteran firefighters with the fair compensation, healthcare and retirement benefits they’ve earned through their service. The legislation is named after Lecik who was twice deployed to the Middle East, and afterward became a civilian firefighter, then Chief Fire Inspector at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee. Lecik was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in February 2019, according to the press release, which was tied to his high-risk, carcinogenic workplace conditions as a military firefighter. The VA refused to recognize his service and denied him benefits. He died in late 2021. Spanberger honored Lecik’s life, family and legacy on the U.S. House floor in May 2021 and pushed for passage of the legislation.
In today’s letter, Spanberger continued: “As the Working Group examines potential new presumptions of service connection, the VA should consider the link between hazards encountered during military firefighting and chronic illnesses such as heart diseases, lung disease, and cancer.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
