Written
by Susan Vento and Judy Van Ness
This
article was originally posted November 10, 2013, on chillicothegazette.com
On
Monday, Americans will observe Veterans Day. Some people will observe it with a
day off from work or checking out the special Veterans Day sales at department
stores. But the real meaning of the day should be to think about the great
sacrifices of the men and women who deserve to be honored. Instead, these same
honorable men and women might be dishonored by a Congressional vote next week
on the Furthering Asbestos Claims Transparency Act.
Asbestos,
a known human carcinogen that has killed millions of people during the past
several decades, has not been banned in the U.S. It remains a threat to Americans
in our homes, schools and workplaces, and about one-third of all victims are
veterans. Disasters such as 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy exposed many more people
to asbestos dangers. Meanwhile, experts estimate that about 10,000 people die
in the U.S. every year as a result of exposure to asbestos.
We
watched our husbands die from mesothelioma, caused by asbestos. Former Rep.
Bruce Vento died from mesothelioma 13 years ago, after being exposed to
asbestos in three different worksites while working his way through college to
become a junior high science teacher on the east side of St. Paul, Minn.
Richard Van Ness died Aug. 30, 2012. His exposure began while serving in the
forward engine room on the USS Charles R. Ware destroyer (1968-1971). Both men
served their country with distinction and died needlessly. This makes us do
everything we can to fight for other victims and families.
The
FACT Act is a cruel twist on a cruel disease, one that blames the victims for
whatever meager compensation they might receive for lives cut dramatically
short. It blames families that have to watch loved ones struggle to take their
final breaths and smears them by saying they get too much. It is no more than
blatant catering to the highly-financed interests of the asbestos industry, the
American Legislative Exchange Council, the National Chamber of Commerce and
Georgia Pacific, owned by the Koch brothers. It is not about transparency at
all.
Instead,
the FACT Act would require the unbelievable disclosure on a public website of
asbestos victims’ personal information, including the last four digits of their
Social Security numbers, financial information, information about their
children and other sensitive data that could subject victims and their families
to identity theft and possible criminal victimization. The bill is completely
lopsided — asbestos companies have no such “transparency” requirements. It
passed the U.S. House Judiciary Committee 17-14 in the spring with the
committee refusing to hear from victims and families who will be affected by
the bill's exposure of their personal information.
The
bill’s supporters mistakenly claim it is needed to prevent fraud by asbestos
victims when filing claims to company trusts and accuse the asbestos victims of
ripping off the system. The asbestos company trusts were structured to enable
the companies responsible for the lethal poisoning of workers to use bankruptcy
reorganization to continue operating.
The
Government Accountability Office analyzed many company trusts and found no
evidence of fraud. Instead, a recent newspaper investigation of claims found
only 0.35 percent of “anomalies” and those included clerical errors by the
claims administrators of the company trusts.
If
anyone is getting ripped off, it’s the asbestos victims and their families. The
Rand Institute found the median payment is 25 cents on the dollar to asbestos
victims, with some payments as low as 1.1 percent of the claim filed. H.R. 982
victimizes all asbestos victims, including veterans, exposing them to identity
theft and further harm.
Susan Vento, widow of former Rep. Bruce F.
Vento, D-Minn., and Judy Van Ness, widow of Richard Van Ness, are with the
Asbestos Cancer Victims’ Rights Campaign.
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