ACES Act Mandates Cancer Study for Active Duty Aircrew, Sets Hard Deadlines for VA

The ACES Act of 2025 isn't about immediate policy change; it’s about getting answers. This bill mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contract the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a major study on cancer rates and mortality among active duty aircrew. Think of it as a deep dive into the health risks faced by pilots, navigators, and other crew members who regularly fly fixed-wing aircraft.

The Science of Service: What the Study Covers

This isn't a casual look. The study must systematically investigate three key areas. First, it needs to identify the specific exposures—like chemicals or environmental factors—that these crew members encountered while flying. If you’re a pilot, you know your cockpit environment is unique, and this study aims to catalogue those specific occupational hazards. Second, the Academies must review existing research to see if there’s a link between those exposures and higher rates of cancer overall. The bill specifically calls out a list of serious cancers to check, including brain, lung, prostate, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, plus any others the VA and the Academies deem important. Finally, they need to crunch the numbers to calculate exactly how common these cancers are and how many people have died from them within this specific group, using data from the VA, the Department of Defense, and other national registries.

Defining the ‘Covered Individual’

Who exactly is this study focusing on? The bill defines a “covered individual” as someone who served on active duty in any branch and regularly flew on a fixed-wing aircraft as part of the crew. This includes pilots, weapons systems operators, and any other crew member who regularly strapped in. If you spent your active duty career flying C-130s, F-16s, or similar planes, this research is designed specifically for you and your health concerns. It’s a targeted effort to address health issues unique to the flight deck.

Holding the VA’s Feet to the Fire

Perhaps the most interesting part of this section is the accountability mechanism written into the law. The VA Secretary has a tight window: 30 days to start negotiations with the National Academies and just 60 days to finalize the agreement for the study. If the VA misses that 60-day deadline, the Secretary can't just shrug it off. They are required to immediately inform the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees why they failed and give a new projected start date. Furthermore, they have to keep updating those committees every 60 days until the contract is signed. This is a clear, procedural attempt to prevent bureaucratic delays from stalling critical health research. For veterans and active personnel who may be waiting on these results, these deadlines mean the process should move forward with urgency, or Congress will be asking why.