The Sergeant Dave Crete FORGOTTEN Veterans Act of 2026 expands healthcare and benefits eligibility for veterans exposed to toxic substances at nuclear testing sites and energy facilities. The bill presumptively treats veterans who served at the Nevada Test and Training Range or Nevada National Security Site from 1951 onward as having been exposed to radiation and toxic substances, eliminating the need for them to prove individual exposure when filing for benefits. It requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to work with the Department of Defense to identify eligible veterans using existing military records, establish a registry for affected veterans, and conduct a comprehensive study on toxic exposures at these locations within 180 days. The bill applies to any veteran who performed active military service at covered locations, including Department of Energy facilities listed under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000, and does not require veterans to submit affirmative evidence of specific toxic exposure.
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