Ross Calls on VA, Armed Services Committees to Help Veterans Suffering from Agent Orange-Related Diseases

Press Release

U.S. Rep. Dennis A. Ross (FL-15), Senior Deputy Majority Whip, sent letters today to House Veteran Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe, the U.S. Air Force and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, all regarding Vietnam veterans being denied Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits for diseases associated with Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide sprayed by the U.S. during the Vietnam War to clear out foliage. The first letter, sent to Chairman Roe, asks for immediate consideration of H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, and the second and third letters, addressed to the U.S. Air Force and Chairman Thornberry, respectively, call for a briefing and information on the use of Agent Orange on Andersen Air Force Base in Guam during the Vietnam War.

The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, of which Rep. Ross is an original cosponsor, would provide presumptive Agent Orange exposure status to veterans who served in the waters off the coast of Vietnam ("Blue Water Veterans") and suffer from any of the diseases the U.S. government associates with Agent Orange. A 2011 examination by the Institute of Medicine found sailors could have been exposed to the toxic herbicide through potable water systems in warships that collected seawater polluted by land runoff and concentrated the dioxins in Agent Orange through distillation. This bill would allow Blue Water Veterans to receive VA benefits and services for Agent Orange-related diseases due to such exposure.

"I have spoken personally to countless Blue Water Veterans, including many in my own district, suffering from devastating cancers and diseases attributed to Agent Orange who bravely served in the territorial seas of Vietnam," said Ross. "These veterans, and their families, deserve the care and benefits they earned. Unfortunately, today, they have been forgotten by their government. This legislation garnered vast support last Congress, but was never considered. We need to quickly push this bill through and provide our courageous veterans the help they need."

Currently, the VA does not presume Blue Water Veterans to have been exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides, even though U.S. ships were docked to the shore of Vietnam and operated in Vietnam's close coastal waters. According to the VA, Blue Water Veterans do not regularly qualify for VA benefits for their Agent Orange-related diseases because they did not actually set foot in Vietnam or serve aboard ships that fully operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam. To qualify on a case-by-case basis, they must meet a high burden of factually showing they were exposed to Agent Orange during military service to receive disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure.

This same legislation was introduced in the 114th Congress, and garnered 335 cosponsors, including Rep. Ross as an original cosponsor. Despite the widespread support of both Republicans and Democrats, there were no committee hearings, markups or votes on the bill.

The second and third letters request the U.S. Air Force and Chairman Thornberry to conduct briefings to look into multiple reports of Agent Orange exposure on Andersen Air Force Base in Guam during the Vietnam War. Since the end of the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense (DOD) has acknowledged using Agent Orange in Vietnam and Thailand, but not Guam. Because the territory of Guam is not on the acknowledged list, veterans who served there are not eligible for expanded VA benefits for those afflicted with Agent Orange-related diseases and disabilities.

"If this toxic herbicide was used on a U.S. military installation, our nation's service members and veterans deserve to know what they were exposed to," said Ross. "I have spoken to a Vietnam veteran from my district who said he is suffering from more than 30 diseases and was personally responsible for spraying Agent Orange while stationed at Andersen Air Force Base. We are talking about men and women who put our country and our lives before their own. Our government owes it to them to tell the truth."

Guam Del. Madeleine Bordallo has also requested a briefing from the military, detailing the handling of Agent Orange at Andersen Air Force Base. Although the DOD has not acknowledged the use of Agent Orange in Guam, a 2005 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims upheld an unidentified Air Force veteran's claim of Agent Orange exposure at Andersen Air Force Base. Rep. Ross has requested a briefing about Agent Orange exposure in Guam to be conducted by January 17, 2017.

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