Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX) and Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) led more than a dozen of their colleagues in a letter urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure veterans who served in the Panama Canal Zone (PCZ) and were exposed to toxic chemicals receive disability compensation through the PACT Act.
“Historical documentation reveals that the Department of Defense (DoD) transferred herbicides and other toxic chemicals to U.S. bases in the PCZ to maintain and clear vegetation. Veteran testimony and archival records confirm their presence. At least 400 PCZ veterans have been diagnosed with cancer, cardiovascular disease, or other serious conditions correlating with herbicide exposure, yet many continue to be denied appropriate disability benefits and recognition,” the lawmakers wrote.
“While the authority provided under the PACT Act fully empowers the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure veterans exposed to toxic chemicals receive the treatment and recognition they deserve, the Department of Defense is also tasked with updating and maintaining the List of Locations Where Tactical Herbicides Were Tested, Used, and Stored. With the understanding that information sharing between the VA and DoD is essential, we also strongly urge your departments to work together to ensure the list of locations accurately reflects the presence of tactical herbicides in the PCZ. This will not only create greater transparency, but it will also solidify the case for establishing a presumption of service-connected disability for veterans who served in the PCZ, beyond information that is already publicly available,” the lawmakers continued.
Members who signed the letter include: Reps. André Carson (D-IN), Dina Titus (D-NV), Greg Casar (D-TX), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), James C. Moylan (R-GU), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL), and Thomas H. Kean, Jr (R-NJ).
Read the full letter here.
Background:
During the 1950s-1970s, the Department of Defense (DoD) routed herbicides to Southeast Asia with many vessels offloading these toxic chemicals at U.S. bases in the Panama Canal.
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. Today’s letter urges the VA to work with the DoD to establish the presence of tactical herbicides in PCZ, establishing a presumption of service-connected disability and ensuring that veterans receive disability care through the PACT Act.
Congress has continued to press for clarity on Panama Canal Zone exposures. In the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress directed the Secretary of Defense to brief the armed services committees on the use and presence of herbicide agents in the Panama Canal Zone during the 1958–1999 period. While the directive is important, the Members argue that sufficient evidence already exists to justify VA action now under the PACT Act framework.