Would Burn-pit registry be waste of time and money?

You've heard the expression "time is money" so anything the congress mandates will take time to implement and money to fund it. Considering the backlog of claims, lack of mental health workers and influx of new veterans waiting too long for the country to live up to their end of the deal, will this help or hurt veterans?

VA: Burn-pit registry would not be effective
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 13, 2012

Veterans Affairs Department officials are opposing legislation to create a registry of service members who may have been exposed to toxic fumes of open burn pits in Iraq or Afghanistan, and they say they do not see the value of such an effort.

“VA can identify all service members that deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and has used this information in the development of an injury-and-illness surveillance system,” said Curtis Coy, VA’s deputy undersecretary for economic opportunity, at a Wednesday hearing at which a burn-pit bill was discussed.

Coy said there are two other reasons why the Obama administration doesn’t support S 1798, a burn-pit bill pending in the Senate.

“The most recent Institute of Medicine report on burn pits identified air pollution, rather than smoke from burn pits, as the most concerning potential environmental hazard,” he said.

He also noted that all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans already are eligible for up to five years of post-discharge health care, free of charge, from VA.

“Special authority for such a registry is not required,” Coy said.
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Then again since it seems as if the "Institute of Medicine" wants to call toxic fumes "air pollution" these veterans may need a lot more help than they are getting.