Rep. Sykes Announces Gulf War Veteran And PACT Act Advocate Tim Hauser As State Of The Union Guest
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) announced she will be joined by Tim Hauser, a Gulf War veteran and founder of the Veterans Assurance Network from Twinsburg, at this year’s State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C.
“It is my pleasure to announce that Tim Hauser will be my guest at this year’s State of the Union,” said Rep. Sykes. “Tim bravely served our country during the Gulf War and has become a leading advocate for veterans in our communities. He was one of the many veterans who fought to pass the bipartisan PACT Act to ensure veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their service receive the health care they deserve, and he encouraged me to host an event to educate veterans on these new benefits, which we did last year. I’m proud to have Tim as my guest, and I’m committed to serving our veterans and their families as well as they have served our country.”
In 1982, after graduating from Huron High School, Hauser joined the U.S. Air Force, where he was deployed to Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. There, he was exposed to toxic burn pits and oil well fires purposely set by Iraqi forces. The Department of Defense has estimated 3.5 million service members were exposed to toxic burn pits during their time serving abroad. Exposure to burn pits and other toxic airborne substances has been linked to serious health effects, including some cancers. Hauser also founded the Veterans Assurance Network to provide advocacy, support, education, services and resources to veterans and their families.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently announced that starting today, March 5, 2024, veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service will be able to enroll in VA health care – years earlier than expected.
All eligible Veterans are encouraged to visit the PACT Act website or VA.gov/PACT, or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more and apply for VA health care. The PACT Act enacted the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic exposed veterans in more than 30 years. Since the PACT Act was signed into law on Aug. 10, 2022, more than 500,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA health care.
In July 2023, Rep. Sykes hosted a roundtable at American Legion Post 44 in Canton to connect veterans to the new health care and disability benefits available through the landmark PACT Act.