Letter to the Honorable Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and the Honorable Corrine Brown, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs - Buchanan Condemns "Gross Injustice" Against Vietnam Vets

Letter

More than four decades ago, hundreds of thousands of our nation's finest men and women in the Armed Forces returned home to their families and friends from Vietnam. But for 90,000 American sailors who served on ships and ports off the coast of Vietnam, commonly referred to as "Blue Water" Navy veterans, the war never really ended.

That's because these veterans are being denied health care coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for deadly diseases related to exposure to Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide that was used to kill vegetation and eliminate cover for enemy troops during the Vietnam War.

Tragically, these Vietnam servicemen and women have been told by the VA that they are ineligible for much-needed benefits. Currently, only veterans who served on land in Vietnam are eligible for benefits for illnesses tied to Agent Orange.

The U.S. Air Force sprayed nearly 11 million gallons of the toxic chemical in Vietnam. Exposure to Agent Orange has been linked to devastating illnesses including prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease, respiratory cancers, ischemic heart disease and more.

And while Blue Water veterans have experienced identical diseases to their fellow soldiers who served on land in Vietnam just miles away from them -- they don't have identical coverage.

This situation is particularly frustrating because these veterans were previously covered under the original Agent Orange Act of 1991. This law made it clear that anyone who served in the war -- whether on land or in Vietnam's territorial waters -- was presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange and should receive VA benefits for illnesses caused by it.

However, in 2002 the VA decided to strip benefits by limiting coverage to veterans who served on land in Vietnam.

This is unacceptable. They fought and sacrificed just like their fellow soldiers who served on land in Vietnam. Denying them health coverage is a gross injustice. This arbitrary distinction should not be the deciding factor in any veteran's access to VA health care.

As Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, I'm urging you to immediately act on the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, bipartisan legislation for these veterans who are suffering from diseases linked to Agent Orange exposure.

Since its creation nearly a century ago, the VA made a sacred promise "to care for him who shall have borne the battle." In order to live up to that promise, Congress and the VA need to step up for Blue Water veterans.

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