On September 11, 2025, Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) introduced the Susan E. Lukas 9/11 Servicemember Fairness Act, a bill designed to extend PACT Act benefits to servicemembers who reported for duty at the Pentagon in the days and weeks following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The legislation is named in honor of retired Air Force Lt. Col. Susan Lukas, who was present at the Pentagon on 9/11, returned to duty the very next day, and continues to suffer lasting health consequences from toxic exposure. The bill was introduced on the 24th anniversary of the attacks, according to a statement from Subramanyam’s office.

“There are so many servicemembers who witnessed the devastating attack on the Pentagon on 9/11 and then bravely reported for duty soon thereafter to keep our country safe, exposing themselves to harmful toxicants that forever impacted their health,” said Subramanyam. “These heroic men and women deserve the same benefits under the PACT Act that Congress has provided to other servicemembers, and I am proud to introduce this bill to close the gap in coverage.”

Retired Army Maj. Gen. John Hashem, Executive Director of the Reserve Organization of America, praised the effort, noting that while the PACT Act was a landmark step forward, Pentagon servicemembers from this period remain unprotected. 

“On behalf of the Reserve Organization of America, I thank Congressman Subramanyam for sponsoring the Susan E. Lukas 9/11 Servicemember Fairness Act, which establishes a presumption of service connection for servicemembers who were at the Pentagon during the 9/11 attacks and returned to duty as early as the next day,” Hashem said.

Lt. Col. Lukas, the bill’s namesake and a constituent of Subramanyam, expressed her gratitude. “On 9/11, I was serving at the Pentagon and was required to return to duty the very next day, unaware that the environment we were exposed to would have lasting consequences for our health,” she said. “As a constituent and a veteran, I thank the congressman for his commitment to ensuring that no servicemember exposed to these conditions is left behind.”

Herbert Valle, President of the Virginia-based veterans nonprofit Chariots of Honor and a Pentagon survivor, echoed that sentiment. “This legislation corrects a longstanding inequity by extending the PACT Act presumption of service connection to Pentagon servicemembers who reported for duty between September 11 and November 19, 2001,” Valle said. “Passing this bill is not just about policy—it is about fairness, honoring sacrifice, and keeping our promise to those who served when our nation needed them most.”

According to Subramanyam’s office, the measure would address a gap in coverage by recognizing that Pentagon personnel who returned to duty between September 11 and November 19, 2001, when the building was officially declared safe, were exposed to cement dust, asbestos, glass fibers, lead, mold, and other toxicants. 

These servicemembers are currently excluded from presumptive service connection under the PACT Act, as well as from programs such as the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides care to first responders and survivors.

The legislation has bipartisan backing, with co-sponsorship from Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), and Rob Wittman (R-VA-01). It has also received an endorsement from the Reserve Organization of America. 

The legislation is endorsed by the Reserve Organization of America.

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