With bipartisan support in 2022, the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act pledged compensation for veterans exposed to toxic substances like burn pits and hazardous chemicals. Two years later, the act was cited for contributing to a historic budget shortfall with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
With millions of veterans’ benefits at risk, Congress has been compelled to take action.
Most recently, according to a February 5 press release from the office of Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), “[Legislation is being offered] to establish greater accountability and oversight of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) after a stunning multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall in 2024 followed by a multi-billion-dollar surplus two months later.”
The member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC) and 10 additional senators introduced the Protecting Regular Order (PRO) for Veterans Act to address the “budget debacle.”
As noted by the press release, “The Pro VETS Act will institute a three-year requirement for the VA to provide quarterly, in-person budget reports to Congress to encourage greater oversight and financial accountability, and also withhold bonuses for senior VA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) personnel if there are future financial shortfalls.”
In an attempt to deflect blame away from mismanagement last year, the agency was quick to cite the PACT Act as the key driver of the budget shortfall. VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said, “Right now, due in large part to the historic PACT Act, VA is delivering more care and more benefits to more veterans than ever before.”
For many veterans, like Fleeman and Navy veteran Dr. Crisanna Shackelford, accountability and transparency are required of an agency running itself into the ground.
Speaking of accountability, this fraud must be addressed immediately. The VA issued a fraudulent SOP note prohibiting claims processors from classifying mandated COVID-19 injections as a toxic exposure risk activity (TERA), despite clear evidence they qualify. Without this note,…
— Sonny Fleeman (@SonnyFleeman) February 6, 2025
Following the above post on X, The Gateway Pundit spoke to Sonny Fleeman, who emphasized that the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely his own and do not reflect the official policies, positions, or views of the VA, the United States Government, or any organization or employer, current or former, with which he is or has been affiliated.
The federal whistleblower revealed that while the VA attempted to blame the PACT Act as the primary cause of a budget shortfall, “their public statements happened to coincide with a significant spike in vaccine-related health issues and injuries.” For him, “this isn’t a coincidence; it’s another ignored contributor to the financial strain.”
“The extraordinary rise in already service-connected increase claims following the COVID-19 shots cannot be attributed to the PACT Act,” Fleeman argued, explaining that “it only applies to new claims for service connection.” He is particularly concerned about the Toxic Exposure Risk Activity (TERA) provision of the PACT Act.
A standard operating procedure note within the PACT Act excludes vaccines and medications from being considered under TERA, applying a stricter standard than all other toxic exposures.
Image: Screenshot from Feds for Freedom Substack Article
“The VA already concedes toxic exposures under TERA when they are consistent with the circumstances of a veteran’s service, including occupational and environmental risks,” Fleeman explained. “Yet, this note arbitrarily blocks vaccine-related exposures from being evaluated the same way.”
“Without it,” he argued, “the COVID-19 mRNA injections would have to be considered a military occupational exposure under TERA, just like any other toxic risk veterans faced in service.”
The VA cannot claim to assess toxic exposures fairly while creating a special exemption for vaccines through “an SOP loophole,” he argued. “All the VA Secretary has to do is remove this fraudulent SOP note, and every veteran who was injected by the military would be covered.”
And as it stands, Fleeman also suggested: “[this provision] effectively obscures the fallout from the shots.”
He pointed out that “the VA acknowledges toxic exposure under TERA for military occupational hazards, asbestos, and other service-related exposures—even when long-term health effects are uncertain—but then arbitrarily excludes vaccines and medications.”
“If TERA is supposed to cover all potential toxic exposures from military service, then there’s no valid reason to preemptively exempt vaccines,” he offered. “Rather, the COVID-19 shots would have to be evaluated under TERA like any other exposure.”
But according to him, “This policy isn’t based on evidence; it’s a deliberate carve-out to prevent claims.” The VA cannot claim to follow a scientific standard while “applying different rules to different exposures based on policy convenience,” he added.
“The VA now concedes exposure to all forms of toxic hazards as long as the facts and circumstances align with the veteran’s service, except for a few glaring exclusions: vaccines and medications.”
Fleeman hopes that President Donald Trump’s newly confirmed pick for VA secretary not only embraces transparency but also fair compensation for all toxic exposures, including those caused by vaccines.
Doug Collins, an Air Force reserve chaplain and former GOP congressman, was easily confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday.
The post WHISTLEBLOWER: Should the New VA Secretary Remove a ‘Fraudulent SOP Note,’ Every Service Member Injured by the Once-Mandated COVID-19 Shot Could be Compensated appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.