On the heels of U.S. House approval this week of a bipartisan measure to extend healthcare to U.S. Navy veterans who served on active duty and were exposed to toxic chemicals during the Vietnam War, U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said the U.S. Senate version of the bill should be quickly approved, as well.
“Our legislation would extend eligibility for disability compensation and health care to ‘Blue Water’ Navy veterans who were exposed to dioxin, a chemical linked to significant health problems,” Sen. Rounds said on Tuesday, referring to Vietnam veterans who served on ships offshore during the war.
Sen. Rounds on April 11 introduced the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, S. 1195, with sponsor U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and 50 other cosponsors to clarify healthcare coverage for U.S. Navy veterans exposed to the toxic Agent Orange chemical herbicide during the Vietnam War.
The U.S. House of Representatives on May 14 voted 410-0 to advance its version of the bill, the same-named H.R. 299. Similar legislation during the last session of Congress died in the Senate after it was approved by the House.
According to information from Sen. Rounds’ office, Congress in 1991 passed a law requiring the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide presumptive coverage to Vietnam veterans with illnesses linked to Agent Orange exposure. But in 2002 the VA ruled that it would cover only U.S. veterans who could prove they were ordered to fight on the ground during the war, action that effectively excluded benefits for thousands of sailors who were exposed to Agent Orange while drinking and bathing in contaminated water offshore.
“Our veterans have made incredible sacrifices to defend our freedom and keep us safe,” said Sen. Rounds. “We owe it to them to take proper care of them after their service is complete, especially when it comes to injuries and health problems that resulted from active duty.”
S. 1195 is under consideration by the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the full Senate received H.R. 299 on Wednesday for review.
“This legislation is long overdue and I look forward to working to advance it as a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee,” said Sen. Rounds, who serves on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.