WASHINGTON — Up to 190,000 Blue Water Navy veterans from the Vietnam War were exposed to the toxic chemical Agent Orange, even if they were on boats or ships up to 12 nautical miles off-shore.
Exposure to the herbicide has been presumed to be the primary cause of 14 different types of diseases by the National Academy of Medicine.
Congress passed a bill last year requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide medical coverage and benefits to those veterans and President Donald J. Trump signed it.
Yet, many of those same vets still aren't getting health care and compensation benefits from the V.A. that they earned. That's because VA Secretary Robert Wilkie told Congress in January that his department has "significant concerns" and "the soonest the secretary would be able to consider adding any new presumptive conditions is in late 2020."
That determination doesn't sit well with the commander of the 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans, who testified Tuesday before a joint meeting of the Senate and House Veterans Affairs Committees.
"This decision ignores the fact that the National Academy of Medicine has already reviewed dozens of studies on multiple occasions over many years, and in every case, it was concluded that these diseases are associated with Agent Orange," said Stephen Whitehead. "We do not need to wait for any more studies. Mr. Chairman, if the V.A. will not take the right action, then, in the name of justice, you must. Our Vietnam veterans have waited long enough."
Whitehead had an ally in California Rep. Mark Takano.
"V.A. has not included bladder cancer, hyperthyroidism, Parkinsonism, and hypertension to the list of presumed conditions associated with exposure to Agent Orange," he said. "Can you explain why, commander, the V.A. has failed to add these conditions to the presumptive list?"
Whitehead replied, "We don't know why. The research is there. The facts are there."
One reason could be money.
The V.A. has estimated the cost for health care and benefits for the additional
Agent Orange-exposed vets and their survivors will be between $11.2 billion and $15.2 billion.