“A few months ago the House of Representatives took the historic first step of passing my Honoring Our PACT Act, and moved closer to delivering the most comprehensive legislation to date to treat toxic exposure as a cost of war. I am thrilled that the Senate has now done its part by passing my bill with some additional revisions to benefit veterans.

"Let me be clear: This bill isn't about Democrats versus Republicans," said Tester, chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. "It's not about political posturing. It's about Americans standing up for those who have served and sacrificed on behalf of this country and the freedoms we have today.

The VA says right now there are almost 100,000 veterans living in Montana. Around 66,000 of them could have been exposed to toxic substances during their service; that’s two-thirds of the state's veterans.

Veterans try to convince the Veterans Administration that their post-service illnesses were linked to their time in the military.