Bill Targets Burn-Pit Health Effects on Women Veterans

Senators and representatives introduce legislation directing a federal study of reproductive health impacts on women who served near open-air burn pits.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Women’s Health

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a folded flag resting on a concrete plinth beneath a thin rising haze, evoking the unresolved health questions facing women veterans. — Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Maggie Goodlander introduced legislation directing the VA and Defense Department to study reproductive health effects of burn-pit exposure on women veterans. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should the VA be required to study burn-pit effects on women veterans?

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Maggie Goodlander introduced the Toxic Exposure and Women Veterans' Health Outcomes Act ahead of Veterans Day. The bill would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs, working with the Defense Department, to study how burn-pit exposure affects women veterans' reproductive health.

Why it matters

Sponsors say women-specific health effects have received too little attention and seek evidence that could support recognition of additional conditions under the PACT Act. The bill relies on research and reports rather than adding presumptive benefits directly.

The bill sets a 180-day deadline for a preliminary report and a two-year deadline for a final report after enactment, covering a population of more than 300,000 women who served in post-9/11 conflicts. Whether the study will find links to birth outcomes or fertility is not yet known.

The players

Kirsten Gillibrand

A Democratic U.S. senator from New York who has championed veterans' issues and co-sponsored the bill.

Maggie Goodlander

A Democratic U.S. representative from New Hampshire who co-sponsored the bill alongside Senator Gillibrand.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The federal agency responsible for veterans' health care and benefits, which the bill directs to conduct the study.

The details

The study would examine reproductive capacity, fertility, birth defects, and developmental disabilities in veterans' children, and assess connections to combat roles, burn pits, toxic chemicals, and PFAS. The bill would not automatically add conditions to the PACT Act's presumptive benefits, which President Joe Biden signed in 2022.

2000: Congress established presumptive benefits for birth defects in Vietnam veterans' children.
2022: President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act.
November 11, 2026: Lawmakers announced the bill ahead of Veterans Day.
180 days after enactment: Preliminary burn-pit study report due.
Two years after enactment: Final burn-pit study report due.

Big Picture

The bill builds on the PACT Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2022, which expanded presumptive benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, but it adds women-specific reproductive research the law did not require. It follows the 2000 precedent of presumptive benefits for birth defects in Vietnam veterans' children.

If enacted, the study could shape future benefit decisions for women veterans whose reproductive health may have been affected by burn-pit exposure during service. The bill itself does not change current eligibility or benefits.

The takeaway

Women veterans' reproductive health has drawn less research than men's, and this bill would require the federal government to look at it directly. Readers tracking veterans' benefits should watch whether the study moves forward after introduction.