It’s time for contractors to be counted
Contractors deploy alongside American service members around the world, providing vital support services ranging from serving meals and washing laundry to building housing, running convoys, and providing security.
Despite facing many of the same dangers as our troops, including IEDs, indirect fire attacks, and exposure to burn pits, there is no VA for contractors, and our injuries and illnesses are not included in official databases or accounted for in legislation like the PACT Act.
Were you exposed to burn pits as a contractor? If so, be counted.
While there is significant data behind U.S. troops exposed to burn pits, there is no database for contractor exposure to these toxins.
Many contractors were unknowingly exposed to burn pits during their employment, often with longer and substantially more direct exposure than troops. Some are only just now developing illnesses related to their exposure.
AOWC is building the first ever contractor burn pit registry. We’re seeking information from all contractors who deployed to bases with burn pits. If you or a loved one was employed as a war zone contractor, even if you are unsure if you deployed to a base with a burn pit and have no current known symptoms, your data is vital to understanding the extent of this global health issue.
Our intake form only takes a few minutes to complete with preliminary data. Please join the registry now.
OUR GOALS
The Association of War Zone Contractors is a new nonprofit founded by contractors, for contractors, to ensure that we are seen, heard, protected, and counted.
RIGHTS AND EDUCATION
Few contractors know about, much less know how to access, the benefits they’re entitled to for work-related injuries and illnesses. Often contractors don’t even know that their medical condition is related to their past or current employment. And surviving family members may be entitled to death benefits for work-related injuries and illnesses.
AOWC is developing resources to help contractors and their families understand their rights and access the benefits they are owed.
Our Contractor Burn Pit Registry is a key initial project.
SUPPORT NETWORKS
Much like the Vietnam veterans of the past, war zone contractors come home after their employment and struggle to re-integrate. Often they remain isolated and lack effective support networks or community with others who share their experiences. Until now, there have been no nonprofits established to support this community which numbers in the millions and spans the globe.
AOWC is working to build community connections, including long-term plans for mental health support and other programs.
POLICY ADVOCACY
Contractors are invisible to the public and to our lawmakers, leading to poor and unsafe work conditions, and a lack of support after deployment. Very few Americans (including members of Congress) realize that contractor deaths and injuries in the post-9/11 wars at times outpaced troops. Many come home with life altering injuries and illnesses. They pay for their own care out of pocket, often draining their savings and leaving their families with nothing – not even answers.
The long-term social costs of these conditions are not factored into the public’s understanding of the total cost of war.
AOWC is building connections with policy makers and subject matter experts to ensure contractors are seen, heard, protected, and counted.