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FILNER LOOKS TO CHANGE VA'S "BOOTS ON THE
GROUND" AGENT ORANGE RULE -- House Vets'
Chair will introduce "Agent Orange Equity Act of
2008" this week. Would fix "Blue Water Navy"
snafu.
This week, Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), Chairman of
the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, will introduce the "Agent Orange
Equity Act of 2008."
If this passes, it will reverse the VA's decision
that prevents the "Blue Water Navy" and some other veterans from claiming
presumptive status for the diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure.
This is great news...and, hats off to Filner and
the others pushing this legislation.
For more about the "Blue Water Navy" Agent Orange
rule, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.ph
p?q=blue+water+navy&op=and
Since the legislation has not been introduced we
do not have the exact wording of the bill at this time.
-------------------------
Filner press
release came to me by email...
Press release
below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact Kristal DeKleer at (202) 225-9756
Veterans Cheated of Their Benefits
VA and Courts Ignore Promises Made to Veterans: CONGRESS MUST ACT
Washington, D.C. – Bob Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on
Veterans’ Affairs, will hold a press conference on Wednesday, July 23 at
NOON on the Cannon Terrace to announce the introduction of the Agent
Orange Equity Act. The bill restores equity to all Vietnam veterans that
were exposed to Agent Orange.
Who: Chairman Bob Filner, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
William G. Jeff Davis, Blue Water Veteran
Ron Abrams, Executive Director, National Veterans Legal Services Program
John Rowan, Vietnam Veterans of America
What: Introduction of the Agent Orange Equity Act, a bill to ensure that
veterans receive their earned benefits
When: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at Noon
Where: Cannon House Office Building Terrace
The intersection of New Jersey and Independence Avenues, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20515
 “We owe it to our veterans to fulfill the promises made to them as a
result of their service,” said Chairman Filner (D-CA). “If, as a result of
service, a veteran was exposed to Agent Orange and it has resulted in
failing health, this country has a moral obligation to care for each
veteran the way we promised we would. And as a country at war, we must
prove that we will be there for all of our veterans, no matter when they
serve. The courts have turned their backs on our veterans, but I believe
this Congress will not allow our veterans to be cheated of their earned
benefits.”
The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 would clarify the laws related to VA
benefits provided to Vietnam War veterans suffering from the ravages of
Agent Orange exposure. In order to try to gain a better military vantage
point, Agent Orange, which we now know is a highly toxic cocktail of
herbicide agents, was widely sprayed for defoliation and crop destruction
purposes all over the Vietnam War Battlefield, as well as nearby nations.
It was also stored on U.S. vessels and used for vegetation clearing
purposes around U.S. bases, landing zones and lines of communication.
Currently, VA requires Vietnam veterans to prove “foot on land” in order
to qualify for the presumptions of service-connection for
herbicide-exposure related illnesses afforded under current law. This
issue has been the subject of much litigation and on May 8, 2008, the
Federal Circuit Court of Appeals upheld VA’s overly narrow interpretation.
Congress clearly did not intend to exclude these veterans from
compensation based on arbitrary geographic line drawing by VA.
The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 is intended to clarify the law so that
every service member awarded the Vietnam Service medal, or who otherwise
deployed to land, sea or air, in the Republic of Vietnam is fully covered
by the comprehensive Agent Orange laws Congress passed in 1991. If
enacted, this bill will make it easier for VA to process Vietnam War
veterans’ claims for service-connected conditions that scientists have
conclusively linked to toxic exposures during the Vietnam War and that are
identified in current law. With this legislation, Congress will leave no
doubt that the “Blue Water Navy” and all combat veterans of Vietnam are
intended to be covered and compensated; thus ensuring that these veterans
will receive the disability benefits they earned and deserve for exposure
to Agent Orange.
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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