VIDEO: Hirono Questions VA Leaders About Red Hill Exposure, PACT Act Implementation During VA Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, questioned a panel of leaders from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) about VA’s plans to support servicemembers impacted by fuel leaks at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. During a full committee hearing, Senator Hirono asked Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VA Under Secretary for Health, and Dr. Patricia Hastings, VA’s Chief Consultant for Health Outcomes Military Exposures, about how the VA is preparing to care for servicemembers impacted by the Red Hill fuel leaks once they transition out of active duty

“As we talk about loss of data, et cetera, and the need to coordinate between DoD and VA, these are thousands and thousands of people who were exposed to jet fuel leaks at Red Hill, and it occurs to us that there should be a way for some kind of tracking and tracing of the health issues attended to this exposure while they’re currently in active service, as well as, presumably, they’re going to become veterans,” said Senator Hirono. “So is this something that you’re already doing?”

In response, Dr. Hastings confirmed that VA is working with the Department of Defense (DOD) to track those impacted by Red Hill.

“Red Hill is one of the cohorts we are concerned with,” said Dr. Hastings. “There is a registry of those people who were exposed that DOD has. This is a cohort that we will follow into the future and this will be decades of following up. But that is what my office does routinely, we follow the cohorts, we look at health outcomes, we look at how to care for those veterans and their families.”

Senator Hirono also asked about a component of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, legislation signed into law earlier this year to expand VA coverage to 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans, directing the VA to research jet fuel exposure.

“A provision in the PACT Act directs the Department to study the impacts of jet fuel exposure – like the exposure that occurred at Red Hill. So I assume that you are doing that, and I would welcome information about how that is going,” Senator Hirono continued.

The Honoring Our PACT Act was signed into law by President Biden in August, and is the largest expansion of benefits for toxic-exposed veterans in over 30 years. Since the bill’s signing, over 136,000 PACT-related disability claims have been filed. VA has also launched a new toxic exposure screening at medical appointments, and has screened over 13,000 veterans.

A link to download video of the Senator’s full question line is available here.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Senator Hirono has consistently worked to support veterans in Hawaii and across the country. In August, she helped pass the Honoring Our PACT Act—comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to expand VA health care for veterans with health conditions related to burn pit and Agent Orange exposure. In October, Senator Hirono also hosted a series of events—including a field hearing where she questioned U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough—focused on discussing the state of VA resources and programs in Hawaii. Last month, Senator Hirono announced that the VA awarded $1.5 million in federal funding to Hawaii to support veterans’ suicide prevention efforts. Earlier this week, Senator Hirono led a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding more information about the DOD’s support for families and individuals impacted by the Red Hill fuel leaks.

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