The AIR CARE for Vets Act Could Change How Veterans Are Diagnosed. Here's How You Can Help Pass It.
Burn Pits 360 is calling on the veteran community to unite behind H.R. 9666 — and it will take all of us to move it forward.
For more than a decade, our co-founder, Captain Le Roy Torres, U.S. Army (Ret.), fought a different kind of war — in waiting rooms, in courtrooms, and in the halls of Congress. He came home from Balad, Iraq with constrictive bronchiolitis and a toxic brain injury from the military's open burn pits.
He endured an invasive open lung biopsy searching for answers. Too many of our brothers and sisters are still fighting that same battle today — told by conventional lung tests that nothing is wrong, when everything is wrong.
A new bipartisan bill in Congress aims to change that. Here is what it does, why it matters, and exactly how you can help pass it.
What is the AIR CARE for Vets Act?
The AIR CARE for Vets Act (H.R. 9666) — formally the Advanced Imaging for Respiratory Care, Assessment, and Research Excellence for Veterans Act — was introduced on July 16, 2026 by Representatives Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), both members of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
The bill directs the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to launch a five-year pilot program that uses FDA-approved four-dimensional (4D) functional lung imaging software to identify respiratory disorders and lung disease in veterans receiving VA care.
In plain terms: this is technology that shows how the lungs actually move and function, not just what they look like in a single still image. It is more sensitive to the early-stage and localized changes that standard assessments routinely miss — and it offers a less painful, non-invasive alternative to procedures like the open lung biopsy Captain Torres endured.
Key provisions of the bill:
- A VA pilot program using FDA-approved 4D functional lung imaging to detect respiratory disease in veterans.
- $5 million per year for five years (fiscal years 2027 through 2031) — roughly $25 million total — to lease the imaging software from approved developers and deploy it across VA medical facilities.
- A focus on earlier, more accurate diagnosis, which means faster triage, better treatment decisions, and a more direct path to the presumptive benefits veterans have earned.
You can read the full bill text on Congress.gov: H.R. 9666.
Why this matters now
Respiratory conditions linked to military service — including exposure to burn pits and other environmental hazards — have become a growing health crisis for veterans. As claims under the PACT Act continue to surge, the VA needs better tools to actually identify the disease behind those claims.
We fought for the PACT Act and won. That law expanded who qualifies for care and benefits. But presumptive benefits mean little if a veteran can't get an accurate diagnosis in the first place. The AIR CARE for Vets Act is the logical next step: giving the VA the diagnostic tools to see the invisible wounds of war — quickly, non-invasively, and definitively.
As Captain Torres puts it: "Every Veteran has the right to know what is happening inside their lungs. Being believed is not a privilege, it is a right."
How you can help — two ways to act
Legislation only becomes law when the people it protects make themselves heard. Here's how to turn support into action.
If you represent a Veterans Service Organization or partner group: sign the letter
Burn Pits 360 is building a coalition of organizations standing publicly behind H.R. 9666. A united veteran community is what turns a good bill into law.
To add your organization's name in support of the AIR CARE for Vets Act, email us at admin@burnpits360.org.
When you sign on, we're asking your organization to do three things:
- Add your name to the public list of organizations supporting H.R. 9666.
- Mobilize your members to call and write their members of Congress.
- Amplify the message through your social media and newsletters.
Email admin@burnpits360.org and our team will send you the sign-on form and advocacy materials.
If you're a veteran, family member, or supporter: contact your members of Congress
H.R. 9666 is a federal bill, so the officials who vote on it are your U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators — not your state legislators. It takes about two minutes to reach them, and it works.
Step 1 — Find your officials:
- Your U.S. Representative: house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative — enter your ZIP code.
- Your U.S. Senators: senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm — select your state.
Step 2 — Send them a message. Call the office, or use the contact form on their website. You can copy, paste, and personalize the email below.
Copy-and-paste email to your elected officials
Subject: Please Support Our Veterans — the AIR CARE for Vets Act (H.R. 9666)
Dear [Representative / Senator Last Name],
As your constituent from [City, State], I am writing to ask you to support the AIR CARE for Vets Act (H.R. 9666), bipartisan legislation introduced by Representatives Chris Pappas and Juan Ciscomani.
Millions of veterans came home from service with lung damage caused by burn pits and other toxic exposures — injuries that standard tests too often fail to detect. This bill directs the VA to launch a five-year pilot program using FDA-approved four-dimensional lung imaging, technology that can identify respiratory disease earlier and without invasive procedures like open lung biopsies. At $5 million a year, it is a common-sense investment in giving our veterans an accurate diagnosis and a faster path to the care and benefits they have already earned.
The PACT Act expanded who qualifies for care. This bill helps the VA actually find the disease. I respectfully urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 9666 (or, if you are writing to a Senator: support this legislation and champion a companion bill in the Senate).
Please let me know where you stand on this bill. Our veterans deserve to be believed.
Sincerely, [Your Name] [Street Address, City, State ZIP] [Email address]
Tip: A personal sentence or two about why this matters to you — your own service, a loved one's illness, or your community — makes your message far more powerful than a form letter. Congressional offices count and weigh constituent messages, so every one counts.
No veteran should have to fight to be believed
Captain Torres spent thirteen years being told "no" — by the VA, by the courts, by two administrations. He kept going, and the result was the single largest expansion of veteran healthcare in U.S. history. This is the next fight, and it's one we can win together.
No veteran should ever have to fight as long or as hard as our founders did just to be seen. Add your voice. Contact your representatives. And if you lead an organization, stand with us.
Veterans Service Organizations: email admin@burnpits360.org to sign on.
Burn Pits 360 is a Texas-based national nonprofit dedicated to honoring and empowering veterans, first responders, and their families affected by toxic exposures. Learn more at burnpits360.org.
