Bill seeks to expand eligibility for Agent Orange-related benefits


Former United States Army Vietnam Veteran and President of Veterans for Peace David Cline look for his fallen comrades names on the Vietnam War Memorial with member of Veterans For Peace, during a campaign event bringing together victims of Agent Orange exposure, a deforestation chemical used in the Vietnam War, in Washington, D.C. on November 28, 2005. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo


April 15 (UPI) -- A bipartisan bill introduced Thursday would allow Vietnam veterans who served in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War to qualify for disability benefits related to Agent Orange exposure.

Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs mandates that veterans who served in southeast Asian countries other than Vietnam during the war provide evidence of exposure to the herbicide in order to qualify for benefits

The Veterans Agent Orange Exposure Equity Act, introduced by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Penn., would allow veterans who served in some other countries during the conflict to access benefits without providing additional evidence.

"Our veterans are heroes and deserve to be treated as such. I am proud to join Rep. Cartwright in introducing legislation that will ensure our Vietnam War veterans who served in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia receive the care they deserve now, and I urge my colleagues in Congress to work across the aisle to support these men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country," Fitzpatrick said in a statement.

"In the United States, we take care of our fellow Americans who have been harmed in the course of their military service. It should be no different in the case of the Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange," Cartwright said in the same statement. "Many of those who have been exposed are living with cancers, heart disease or Parkinson's disease. They deserve relief for the pain and hardship this has caused for them and their families."

Agent Orange is one of several "tactical herbicides" used by the U.S. military during Operation Ranch Hand, a multi-year chemical warfare operation during the Vietnam War.

Operation Ranch Hand exposed millions of people in Southeast Asia and at least 500,000 American troops to the chemical.

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Veterans began making claims due to health problems related to Agent Orange exposure as early as 1977, but they were often rejected unless patients could prove their health problems began a year after discharge.

The VA has gradually expanded coverage for Agent Orange-related illnesses in the decades since.

Last year's Defense Spending Bill included a provision, introduced by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., that added presumption of service connection for Agent Orange-linked illness for veterans suffering from bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinson's disease.

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Typically, veterans need to prove -- usually through medical exams and service records -- that their injuries and illnesses are directly connected to time spent in the military, Military Times noted.

Removing that burden helps veterans avoid having to file that additional paperwork.

It's not clear how many veterans would be affected by the change.

Military Times reported that 50,000 U.S. troops were deployed to Thailand alone at the height of operations, but it isn't clear how many later deployed to Vietnam and are already eligible for presumptive benefits status.