VIDEO: Rosen Secures Commitment From Top Military Officer to Recognize Servicemembers Exposed to Radiation While Serving in Nevada

Skip to content Facebook-f Instagram Youtube Flickr Newsletter Español Newsletter Español Search For Nevadans Constituent Services Help with a Federal Agency Flag Requests Tour Requests Internships Senate Page Nominations Academy Nominations Resource Guides Veterans Resource Guide Senior Resource Guide Small Business Pocket Guide Federal Funding Grant Requests Appropriations Requests Community Project Funding FY27 NDAA Submission Requests About Jacky Biography Committees Voting Record News Press Releases In The News Videos Photos Contact Email Jacky Request a Meeting Office Locations Newsletter Signup Privacy Policy For Nevadans Constituent Services Help with a Federal Agency Flag Requests Tour Requests Internships Senate Page Nominations Academy Nominations Resource Guides Veterans Resource Guide Senior Resource Guide Small Business Pocket Guide Federal Funding Grant Requests Appropriations Requests Community Project Funding FY27 NDAA Submission Requests About Jacky Biography Committees Voting Record News Press Releases In The News Videos Photos Contact Email Jacky Request a Meeting Office Locations Newsletter Signup Privacy Policy VIDEO: Rosen Secures Commitment From Top Military Officer to Recognize Servicemembers Exposed to Radiation While Serving in Nevada April 30, 2026 Watch the full line of questioning HERE . WASHINGTON, DC – Today, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen secured a commitment from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, to identify, assist, and recognize as exposed those servicemembers who served at locations which another U.S. Government agency deems contaminated, like the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). While Department of Energy (DOE) employees are presumed to have been exposed to radiation within the NTTR, the servicemembers who served alongside them are not. And because their service records are classified, they struggle proving their service location to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This disparity denies these veterans from receiving PACT Act benefits that they are legally owed and would otherwise be entitled to. Senator Rosen has been a consistent advocate for veterans, always fighting to make sure they have access to the full benefits and services they are entitled to. Her bipartisan FORGOTTEN Veterans Act , which is the legislative fix to this issue, recently passed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and would recognize the toxic exposure veterans endured at NTTR. Last year, she included much of her FORGOTTEN Veterans Act in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. However, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson blocked its inclusion in the final FY2026 NDAA. Separately, this year, Senator Rosen was able to push the Trump Administration into reversing a rule that would have decreased benefits for disabled veterans. In 2022, Senator Rosen helped pass the PACT Act , extending health care and benefits to veterans suffering from a wide range of illnesses, injuries, and disabilities as a result of exposure to toxins. Below are excerpts from the hearing: Senator Rosen: General, as you have acknowledged in your confirmation hearing, servicemembers who served at locations which another U.S. Government agency deems contaminated, like the Nevada Testing Range, should have the same presumption of radiation exposure as DOE employees who served alongside them. But we also must ensure that DOD provides the VA with the records proving that these individuals served there. So this is a problem that DOD has the power to solve. I know we’ve discussed this. General Caine, will you commit to ensuring parity for DOD personnel who served in locations that the U.S. Government has already deemed contaminated, identifying those who served in such locations, and providing documentation of that service to the VA so they can receive the veterans benefits that they have earned? General Caine : You bet, ma’am. Since our last time together on this, we have continued to chip away at removing, or figuring out how to get past that one particular blocking in that record so that the data flows normally. I am committed to trying to solve that for those leaders and teammates who were out there at that site. Sen. Rosen : Thank you. We look forward to continuing to work with you on that. ### Facebook-f Instagram Youtube Flickr Contact Email Jacky Request a Meeting Office Locations Newsletter Signup Privacy Policy Contact Email Jacky Request a Meeting Office Locations Newsletter Signup Privacy Policy For Nevadans Constituent Services Help With a Federal Agency Flag Requests Tour Requests Internships Senate Page Nominations Academy Nominations For Nevadans Constituent Services Help With a Federal Agency Flag Requests Tour Requests Internships Senate Page Nominations Academy Nominations Resource Guides Veterans Resource Guide Senior Resource Guide Small Business Pocket Guide Federal Funding Grant Request