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House Veterans Affairs Chairman introduces Agent
Orange Equity Act NEWS FROM…
CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 23, 2008
Contact Kristal DeKleer at (202) 225-9756
http://veterans.house.gov
Congress Must Act to Restore Earned Benefits to All Vietnam Veterans –
Including "Blue Water" Vets!
Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, July 23, 2008, House Veterans' Affairs
Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) held a press conference to announce
the introduction of H.R. 6562, the Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008. The
bill restores equity to all Vietnam veterans that were exposed to Agent
Orange.
"We owe it to our veterans to fulfill the promises made to them as a
result of their service," said Chairman Filner (D-CA). "If, as a result
of service, a veteran was exposed to Agent Orange and it has resulted in
failing health, this country has a moral obligation to care for each
veteran the way we promised we would. And as a country at war, we must
prove that we will be there for all of our veterans, no matter when they
serve. The courts have turned their backs on our veterans, but I believe
this Congress will not allow our veterans to be cheated of their earned
benefits."
Jeff Davis, a Navy blue water veteran, spoke at the press conference.
Davis served in Vietnam in 1966 on the U.S.S. Fiske and spoke of his
military experience. He called for Congress to direct the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide benefits to the Vietnam veterans that
fought in the air and on the sea and are not currently receiving the
benefits they have earned.
Ron Abrams, Executive Director, National Veterans Legal Services
Program, shared the history of disability benefits for blue water
veterans. He said, "From 1991 to 2002, the VA granted hundreds, if not
thousands of disability claims filed by Navy blue water veterans
suffering from one of the many diseases that VA recognizes as related to
Agent Orange exposure. These benefits were awarded based on VA rules
providing that service in the waters offshore Vietnam qualified the
veteran for the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange. In February
2002, VA did an about face and required veterans to have 'actually
served on land within the Republic of Vietnam… to qualify for the
presumption of exposure to' Agent Orange. As a result, all pending and
new disability claims filed by Navy blue water veterans for an Agent
Orange-related disease were denied unless there was proof that that the
veteran actually set foot on Vietnamese soil. In addition, the VA began
to sever benefits that had been granted to Navy blue water veterans
prior to the 2002 change in VA rules."
Rick Weidman serves as the executive director for policy and government
affairs of Vietnam Veterans of America. He spoke of the need for proper
government funding for research on this issue. "The current
administration is not funding any research on the consequence of Agent
Orange exposure – not at the VA, not at the Department of Defense, not
at the National Institutes of Health, nor at the Environmental
Protection Agency. The only unforgivable sin is willful ignorance which
results in indifference to suffering. What is happening now is in fact
willful ignorance."
The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 would clarify the laws related to
VA benefits provided to Vietnam War veterans suffering from the ravages
of Agent Orange exposure. In order to try to gain a better military
vantage point, Agent Orange, which we now know is a highly toxic
cocktail of herbicide agents, was widely sprayed for defoliation and
crop destruction purposes all over the Vietnam War Battlefield, as well
as nearby nations. It was also stored on U.S. vessels and used for
vegetation clearing purposes around U.S. bases, landing zones and lines
of communication.
Currently, VA requires Vietnam veterans to prove "foot on land" in
order to qualify for the presumptions of service-connection for
herbicide-exposure related illnesses afforded under current law. This
issue has been the subject of much litigation and on May 8, 2008, the
Federal Circuit Court of Appeals upheld VA's overly narrow
interpretation. Congress clearly did not intend to exclude these
veterans from compensation based on arbitrary geographic line drawing by
VA.
The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 is intended to clarify the law so
that every service member awarded the Vietnam Service medal, or who
otherwise deployed to land, sea or air, in the Republic of Vietnam is
fully covered by the comprehensive Agent Orange laws Congress passed in
1991. If enacted, this bill will make it easier for VA to process
Vietnam War veterans' claims for service-connected conditions that
scientists have conclusively linked to toxic exposures during the
Vietnam War and that are identified in current law.
Chairman John Hall leads the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and
Memorial Affairs, the subcommittee with jurisdiction over these issues.
He stated, "With this legislation, Congress will leave no doubt that the
'Blue Water Navy' and all combat veterans of Vietnam are intended to be
covered and compensated; thus ensuring that these veterans will receive
the disability benefits they earned and deserve for exposure to Agent
Orange. This is the cost of war. We asked these brave men and women to
fight for us and serve their country, and it is a grave injustice that
they have had to wait this long for treatment. We must place care of our
soldiers among our top priorities. This applies for all past, present,
and future conflicts."
"Time is running out for these veterans," concluded Chairman Filner.
"Many are dying from their Agent Orange related diseases, uncompensated
for their sacrifice. There is still a chance for America to meet its
obligations to these noble veterans. I will work with my Congressional
colleagues to provide the earned disability benefits and health care to
the thousands of Navy blue water veterans and survivors that earned this
care in battle." |
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This is the directory of photos of the 975 in
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