Around 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to toxic fumes from burn pits while deployed overseas.

Now, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing for new legislation to help them. The bill would allow vet to get benefits for illnesses stemming from those burn pits.

Gillibrand says it's a problem that needs to have a solution.

"Men and women who are fighting for their lives should not have to fight the VA for care,” Gillibrand said. “And for the VA to drag its feet knowingly, when many of our veterans do not have time to spare, is an outrageous dereliction of duty."

The Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020 would remove the “burden of proof” from veterans to provide enough evidence to establish a direct service connection between their health condition and exposure, Gillibrand said in a statement.

If the legislation is approved, veterans affected would need to submit evidence of deployment or receipt of a service medal associated with the global war on terror or the gulf war.

The following countries/territories are covered: 

Afghanistan, Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Diego Garcia, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

“During military operations in the Global War on Terror and the Gulf War, the military employed open-air burn pits in order to burn garbage, medical waste, plastics, and other waste from military installations,” read a statement from the senator. “According to estimates, at least 230 burn pits were utilized in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many others were used across the world. The largest of these burn pits were located at Balad Air Base, Iraq, and comprised 10-acres of burning trash, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, from 2003 to 2009.”