“We can hardly ever absolutely thank you for all the sacrifices you’ve made,” Biden explained to the veterans and their households gathered at a YMCA. “In The usa, we leave no veteran driving. That is our motto.”

In uncooked numbers, more than 1 million statements have been granted to veterans given that Biden signed the so-named PACT Act into legislation in August 2022, the administration stated Tuesday. That quantities to about 888,000 veterans and survivors in all 50 states who have been equipped to get incapacity gains less than the legislation.

That totals about $5.7 billion in positive aspects presented to veterans and their survivors, in accordance to the administration.

“The president, I imagine, has thought now for far too extensive, much too several veterans who received unwell serving and combating for our state had to struggle the VA for their treatment, as well,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough instructed reporters on Monday. PACT stands for “Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics.”

The PACT Act is comparatively decrease profile in comparison to the president’s other legislative achievements — these types of as a bipartisan infrastructure regulation and a sweeping tax, climate and well being care package deal — but it is just one that is deeply private for Biden.

He has blamed burn up pits for the brain most cancers that killed his son, Beau, who served in Iraq, and has vowed consistently that he would get the PACT Act into law. Burn up pits are exactly where chemicals, tires, plastics, health care devices and human squander had been disposed of on armed forces bases and had been used in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Prior to the law, the Section of Veterans Affairs denied 70% of disability statements that concerned burn pit exposure. Now, the law demands the VA to assume that selected respiratory ailments and cancers were being similar to burn up pit or other harmful publicity without the need of veterans getting to establish the url.

In advance of Biden’s prepared remarks, he went to a Veterans of Overseas Wars put up in Merrimack, New Hampshire. The president achieved there with Lisa Clark, an Air Drive veteran who is receiving positive aspects as a result of the PACT Act mainly because her late husband, Senior Master Sergeant Carl Clark, was uncovered to the chemical herbicide Agent Orange for the duration of the Vietnam War.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, marked the milestone by praising the veterans who advocated for the law.

“For much much too prolonged, our nation unsuccessful to honor its promises to our veterans exposed to toxic compounds in military services conflicts throughout the globe—until we fought like hell alongside veterans to eventually get the PACT Act signed into regulation,” Tester, chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said.