Nevada Public Radio: Test range veteran bill

🪖 Veterans exposed to high levels of radiation and toxic substances at the Nevada Test and Training Range would get some help through a proposed bill. Sponsors U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen and U.S. Rep. Susie Lee said on May 28 the bill would assist those who are ill but cannot get help through existing programs.

Some were working on classified programs that the VA is unable to confirm. Also, the Pentagon has downplayed contamination risks at the site. With this bill, the Pentagon would identify everyone who served on the site since nuclear testing began in 1951, establish a process to confirm proof of service, and share the documentation with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans could then apply for VA benefits. Rosen and Lee said there were over 900 nuclear and other tests at the site from the 1950s through the 1990s.