US Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Steve Daines on March 9 introducedthe Senate to a bill aiming to ensure disability and health carebenefits for thousands of Vietnam war veterans exposed to toxic AgentOrange, which the US troops poured into Vietnam’s territory during thewartime.
A similar bill was also submitted to the Lower House last month.
Talkingwith press agencies after bringing in the draft “Blue Water NavyVietnam Veterans Act of 2015” to the Senate, Senator Gillibrand from theDemocratic Party said “Hundreds of thousands of our veterans arebeing denied benefits they need and deserve because of a technicality inthe law”.
According to the Senator, during the Vietnam War, theUS military sprayed approximately 20 million gallons of Agent Orange inVietnam to remove jungle foliage. This toxic chemical had devastatingeffects for millions serving in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, SenatorDaines from the Republican Party stated that “this legislation willensure that victims of Agent Orange-related disease receive the care andcompensation they have long deserved.”
In 1991, theUS Congress passed a law requiring Veterans Affairs (VA) to providepresumptive coverage to Vietnam veterans with illnesses that theInstitute of Medicine has directly linked to Agent Orange exposure.However, in 2002 the VA determined that it would only cover veterans whocould prove that they had orders for “boots on the ground” during theVietnam War.
New bills were submitted to the bicameralCongress in the context that VA is considering determining whether theveterans served in the military cargo aircraft, which had already beenused for spraying Agent Orange over Vietnam territory, have beenentitled to social welfare.
Around 4.8 million Vietnamesepeople were exposed to the toxic Agent Orange sprayed over Vietnam’ssouthern region by the US troops during the war. Many of the victimshave died, while millions of their descendants are living withdeformities and diseases due to the chemical’s effects.-VNA
A similar bill was also submitted to the Lower House last month.
Talkingwith press agencies after bringing in the draft “Blue Water NavyVietnam Veterans Act of 2015” to the Senate, Senator Gillibrand from theDemocratic Party said “Hundreds of thousands of our veterans arebeing denied benefits they need and deserve because of a technicality inthe law”.
According to the Senator, during the Vietnam War, theUS military sprayed approximately 20 million gallons of Agent Orange inVietnam to remove jungle foliage. This toxic chemical had devastatingeffects for millions serving in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, SenatorDaines from the Republican Party stated that “this legislation willensure that victims of Agent Orange-related disease receive the care andcompensation they have long deserved.”
In 1991, theUS Congress passed a law requiring Veterans Affairs (VA) to providepresumptive coverage to Vietnam veterans with illnesses that theInstitute of Medicine has directly linked to Agent Orange exposure.However, in 2002 the VA determined that it would only cover veterans whocould prove that they had orders for “boots on the ground” during theVietnam War.
New bills were submitted to the bicameralCongress in the context that VA is considering determining whether theveterans served in the military cargo aircraft, which had already beenused for spraying Agent Orange over Vietnam territory, have beenentitled to social welfare.
Around 4.8 million Vietnamesepeople were exposed to the toxic Agent Orange sprayed over Vietnam’ssouthern region by the US troops during the war. Many of the victimshave died, while millions of their descendants are living withdeformities and diseases due to the chemical’s effects.-VNA
