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Letter to Hon. Robert L. Wilkie, Secretary of Veterans Affiars - Gillibrand and Daines Demand No Further Delays for Blue Water Navy Veterans

Letter

Date: July 15, 2019
Location: Washington, D.C
Issues: Government Operations Veterans Health and Health Care

The Honorable Robert L. Wilkie

Department of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20420

Dear Secretary Wilkie:

We write to express opposition to your recent decision to delay benefits by another six months to the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans. This is a disheartening and unnecessary action, and we urge you to reverse the decision and provide benefits to eligible Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans without further delay.

As you know Congress unanimously passed legislation providing benefits consistent with the Procopio decision. Many of the 14,500 Blue Water Veteran claims have already been submitted to the VA over the years, and the VA has already identified this population once in order to deny the claims. There is nothing left to do besides processing the claims, and we strongly urge the VA to do so as quickly as possible. Delaying these benefits for another six months without specific and valid cause only adds insult to these veterans, many of whom have been waiting for these benefits for seventeen years.

In short, it is time to provide these veterans, and their families, with the benefits they have been denied for too long. Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to your timely response.

Sincerely,


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