Kelly, Cotton Introduce Legislation to Study Cancer Impacts Among Current and Former Military Aviators

Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Aviator Cancers Examination Study (ACES) Act, bipartisan legislation to address the growing cancer and mortality rates among former and current Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps aircrew members. A bipartisan House companion bill was introduced by Representatives August Pfluger (R-TX-11) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19).

"As a former Navy pilot, I know firsthand the unique challenges aviators face in service to our country and we owe it to them to understand and address these risks, including the long-term health challenges of cancer," said Kelly. "This is an important step toward giving our aircrew and their families the answers they deserve and ensuring we improve care and protections for current and future service members."

"We owe it to past, present, and future aviators in the armed forces to study the prevalence of cancer among this group of veterans. Our legislation will make the necessary commitments to protect our men and women in uniform long after their service has ended," said Cotton.

The ACES Act builds on findings from a 2021 Air Force study showing that aircrew are at a higher risk of developing certain cancers. The legislation directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to work with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to study cancer prevalence and mortality among individuals who served as active-duty aircrew in fixed-wing aircraft across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps to better understand the risks facing aircrew, identify opportunities for further research, and improve care for veterans.

The ACES Act is complementary to Kelly's bipartisan Counting Veterans' Cancer Act, which requires Veterans' Health Administration facilities to share cancer data with state cancer registries, thereby guaranteeing their inclusion in the national registries. It will also help identify cancer-related disparities among veterans, improve the understanding of their cancer-related needs, and increase opportunities for veterans with cancer to be included in clinical trials, cancer-related research, and analysis. Key provisions of the Counting Veterans' Cancer Act were passed as part of the first government funding package of Fiscal Year 2024.

Click here to read the bill text.