ACES Act of 2025
The ACES Act of 2025 directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to initiate a study conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on how common cancer is and how often cancer deaths occur among active-duty aircrew who fly fixed-wing aircraft (including pilots, navigators, weapons systems operators, and other crew members). The study will identify occupational exposures (like chemicals and other agents) associated with aircrew duties, review existing research on links between those exposures and various cancers, and estimate current prevalence and mortality for a defined list of cancers using available data from VA, DoD, and other sources, including the National Death Index and a prior NDAA study. The National Academies will then produce a final report for the Secretary and Congress. The act also sets timing for forming the study agreement and requires periodic briefings if deadlines aren’t met. It defines the “covered individual” and specifies the cancers to be examined, with room for additional cancers as determined appropriate. The overall aim is to improve understanding of cancer risk among active-duty aircrew and inform potential future veteran health surveillance or policy actions.
Key Points
- 1Independent study: The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must seek an agreement with the National Academies to study cancer prevalence and mortality among active-duty fixed-wing aircrew.
- 2Timelines and accountability: The agreement should be finalized within 60 days of negotiations; if not, VA must report back to congressional Veterans’ Affairs committees and provide periodic progress briefings (every 60 days) until finalization.
- 3Scope of the study: Identify exposures related to aircrew occupations and review literature on associations between those exposures and overall cancer burden and mortality, plus specific cancers (brain, colon/rectal, kidney, lung, melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, pancreatic, prostate, testicular, thyroid, urinary bladder) and any other cancers the VA Secretary deems appropriate.
- 4Data sources: Use available data from VA, DoD, and the services; the National Death Index; and the Thornberry NDAA 2021 study as part of the data sources.
- 5Deliverables: A final report detailing the study findings, submitted to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and both congressional Veterans’ Affairs committees.