U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet visited Colorado Springs on Thursday, in part to tout the PACT Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law Wednesday, expanding health care benefits for veterans who developed illnesses from exposure to toxic substances from burn pits on military bases.

Burn pits are used to dispose of waste collected on overseas military bases. Because forward-deployed units cannot get rid of its trash and waste in conventional ways, they have to dispose of it by the most expedient means possible, which often means digging a massive trench, dumping the waste products into it, and setting it ablaze.

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Plastics, rubber, discarded food, chemicals, batteries – as well as medical and human waste – produce toxic fumes when burned, and millions of exposed service members have developed a vast array of medical symptoms from the smoke, including long-term effects on skin, eyes, lungs, and the reproductive and central nervous systems. Several forms of cancer also have been connected to burn-pit poisoning.

The PACT Act was enacted to expand health care and remove the burden on certain veterans to prove that their conditions are connected to their military service.

But when the Colorado Democrat stopped by VFW Post 101 to speak with a group of combat veterans about the legislation, the conversation evolved into an intense, emotional discussion about deficiencies in the way the U.S. health care systems treat former service members.

The senator did far more listening than speaking as a contingent of former and current service members delivered a clear consensus: The PACT Act is a crucial and beneficial step toward caring for veterans, but much more help is needed.

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One of the most pressing needs, veterans said, is a more efficient way for veterans to get in to see a physician.

“As part of my cancer treatment, they had to pull seven teeth from the left side of my face,” said Aaron Himes, a retired soldier who has throat cancer. “Last December, I started the process to get those teeth replaced. My second appointment isn’t until this December. So it’s going to take a year to get evaluated, and another year to 18 months to get those teeth replaced.”

“For me to go see a dermatologist for my service-connected illness, it’s a 9½-month wait,” said Elba Barr, a former military intelligence analyst who’s also battling cancer after prolonged burn-pit exposure. “There shouldn’t be a roadblock to our care. We’ve earned the right to this care, we deserve it, and we need it.”

The wait to see a doctor can be so daunting that some veterans just don’t bother, Barr said.

“The red tape is what’s stopping a lot of veterans, especially younger ones, from coming in,” she said. “They’d rather just not deal with it than wait 18 months just to get their teeth cleaned at the dentist.”

Other needs the vets listed: mental health care with a focus on suicide prevention, treatment for military-related sexual trauma, counseling and treatment for addiction issues, and more efficient claim-processing.

Bennet acknowledged that the delay issues are “unacceptable,” and said lawmakers need to find a way to help the Defense Department and the VA better coordinate.

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“You see these units that have had an outsized number of suicides after they’ve come back (from overseas),” Bennet said. “DoD isn’t tracking this in a way that informs the VA, and the VA can’t seem communicate to the DoD what they’re seeing. If we had a better system, we might be able to intervene before it’s too late for some of these people.”

“Maybe there’s a way for us to do a better job coordinating with the congressional offices, as well, so that we all have a conviction together,” Bennet said. “If we can figure out how to better integrate care among the different VA institutions and with the nonprofits and private sector – not just on health care, but on behavioral health and substance abuse – that would be enormously helpful.”

The senator said he was moved by the veterans’ stories, and that he plans to raise their issues in Washington.

When asked what the veterans can do to help, Bennet said, “You’ve already done it. The whole reason I’m here is to thank you, because we could not have gotten the PACT Act across the finish line without you, and without the families and loved ones who’ve been fighting for this.”