Agent Orange, named for the color of the stripe painted on the 55-gallon drums where it was stored, is a powerful herbicide and defoliant. During the Vietnam War, the United States sprayed Agent Orange over the thick jungle canopies in Vietnam to remove the foliage used by the enemy to hide and cover their movements. The herbicide was also useful in destroying food crops planted by the enemy and possibly weakened them by reducing their food supply. The government was either unaware or unconcerned with how military personnel would be affected by the chemicals in Agent Orange. The distribution of Agent Orange, known as ‘Operation Ranch Hand’, continued from 1961 to 1971. Only later did the adverse effects to humans come to light. These chemicals have been linked to over a dozen health issues including respiratory cancers, blood disorders, and Parkinson’s Disease. To make matters worse, the damage doesn’t stop with the exposed soldier. Children of these men and women are often born with horrific birth defects.
In 1991, the Veterans Administration began providing benefits to veterans affected by exposure to Agent Orange. Those benefits were redacted in 2002 for Navy veterans if they could not prove they had ‘boots on the ground’ in Vietnam. The belief was that a veteran who had not actually touched land could not have been exposed.
The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017 (H.R. 299) was introduced with the belief that Navy personnel were exposed to Agent Orange through the ships’ water systems when the ships were stationed in harbors, and; therefore, those soldiers should be eligible for benefits related to Agent Orange exposure. The personnel on those ships used that water to bathe, drink, and prepare food. H.R.299 would not only restore benefits to close to 100,000 veterans whose claims were denied after 2002, but also make those claims retroactive. The benefits would expand the beginning inclusive date of service from the current date of April 1, 1968 to September 1, 1967. Children of Vietnam Veterans with birth defects would also be eligible for benefits. The H.R. 299 also requires the Veterans Administration to contact those veterans whose claims had been denied.
On May 8, 2017, the House Veterans Affairs Committee passed H.R. 299. In June of that same year the bill was unanimously passed in the House of Representatives. The bill has been stalled in the Senate. Opponents of the bill claim that science does not support the claim of exposure through ship water systems and that restoring benefits and extending them another 10 years would be far too costly. Advocates of the bill disagree. They say science is in their favor and the 1.1 billion price tag could easily be paid by adding a minimal $2-$3 dollars per month to VA home loans.
If H.R. 299 does not pass the senate during the current session, advocates of the bill will have to start over. Please contact your State senator and ask them to support our veterans and this important piece legislation.
