Bill would aid veterans exposed to radiation and toxins at the Nevada Test and Training Range

David Crete, a former Air Force security police officer at the Nevada Test and Training Range, added another name to his list of military employees and contractors who have died since working at the site used for nuclear testing.

No. 523, a 55-year-old man, died on Saturday from a lung disease, Crete said. Crete doesn't have the cause of death of each person on the list, but the same reasons come up repeatedly: cancer, heart attacks and neurological issues, he said Tuesday during an event at the National Atomic Testing Museum.

The average age of death on the list, Crete says, is 62. He's now 60.

While similar employees under the Department of Energy are covered by a decades-old law granting them medical treatment and compensation, it left out the workers under the Department of Defense. With their work being secret, there's a lack of evidence of certain employees working at the site.

The Presumption for Radiation or Toxin Exposure Coverage for Troops (PROTECT) Act, proposed in February by U.S. Reps. Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Mark Amodei, R-Nev., would close the gap. The legislation would ensure medical care to veterans exposed to radiation and other toxins at the Nevada Test and Training Range by establishing a presumption of exposure to radiation and toxins at test site between the years of 1972 and 2005.

Lee said U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., has a companion bill in the Senate that she has been working to get included in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act.

Lee said there has been a holdup due to the Congressional Budget Office putting a $115 million price tag on the policy change, but said the entire Nevada delegation is working to get it through by the end of the year.

"We will eventually pass this bill and other legislation in order to be able to finally become an equal member of the veterans' society," said Crete, who chairs The Invisible Enemy, an organization fighting for members of the military exposed to toxic radiation. "Thankfully, those that represent us here in Nevada are helping us fight that fight."

The bill would expand VA benefits to veterans who were assigned to impacted areas of the Nevada Test and Training Range, offering them potentially life-saving medical treatment and financial compensation they need and deserve, Lee said. This legislation will bring justice to thousands of veterans.

And the impacts don't end at the initial person exposed. Crete said that all four of his kids had been born with "various issues" related to his radiation exposure. 

"Our kids have diseases that the doctors tell you, 'Oh, my god. That's so rare.' My firstborn was born with something that the doctor said my son had a one in 50,000 chance of getting," he said. "I've met all kinds of people whose kids have the same disease."

Las Vegas native Jennifer Callahan Page said she lost her mother, father and grandfather to radiation exposure. When Page spoke to her mother on her deathbed two years ago, she told her daughter that she "always knew" she was exposed.

And, despite being adopted and not sharing her parents' genetics, Page is dealing with the same maladies that her mother had: struggles with skin issues, infiltrated lungs, female issues, and cancer issues, she said.

"It's only possible because she brought it home unknowingly. She was told she was safe," Page said. "My whole family, I'm who's left, and I'm just here to carry on the story of the proud things that my parents did. And my grandparents were so proud of what we did in the Cold War here."

Crete said that because the exposure and associated health problems can't be defined as "service connected," family members will also be "completely shut off from the benefits that they're entitled to." 

And even now, Crete said he's dealt with ongoing denials from the Department of Veterans Affairs due to that disconnect. His most recent rejection was just a couple of weeks ago for "very serious issues," Crete said.

"We're asking for a benefit that everybody else gets. It's no different," he said. "Because I had a top-secret security clearance, that shouldn't be the reason that we can't get the benefits that they promised us when we enlisted."

Lee additionally was critical of President Donald Trump's proposed restart of nuclear weapons testing.

While the representative repeatedly referred to "explosive" testing being part of Trump's push, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said days after the president made the announcement that there would be no mushroom clouds. 

In response to Wright's comments, Lee said that the Nevada delegation is focused on getting "definition and transparency" on the plan. The representative said she wants to know what the information coming out of social media and press conferences exactly means.

If there is a plan, "Congress better be involved," said Lee, who added that she'd oppose any action in Congress for "renewed" nuclear testing.

"We cannot do any more testing, please," Page said. "Please know that this is long-term. My husband and I have been married for 35 years. He moved into the home in '90 with us. He also is experiencing lipomas and skin issues."