As an update, the Senate continues to stall since we have last written on the bill. From the VFW, which emphasizes the importance of acting now in whatever way you can:
“During the Vietnam War, veterans who served in the offshore waters of Vietnam drank, bathed in, and cooked with water contaminated by Agent Orange. They are now arbitrarily and unjustly denied benefits for illnesses associated (more…)
Photo, Army Times, 1969
As part of the continuing saga, we update you once again …
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) met last Tuesday (18 September) with the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Robert Wilkie, to persuade him to cease his and his department’s re-doubled efforts to scuttle H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Act, now in the Senate for consideration. (more…)
The behavior of the Senate on the issue of the Blue Water Navy’s exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam Conflict has been less than noble — nor has it done its job. Over the decades, it has conveniently allowed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to lead it by the nose and to provide an excuse for inaction. (more…)
[Editor’s Note: One of the more thorough, balanced and probative articles about the failure of the our national and local media regarding their reporting and conclusions on the state of VA healthcare in quite a while. Also provides some insights on the thinking of our Congress and Executive; and the Read more…
We thought it would happen on Memorial Day. Instead, it happened on 6 June 2018 (D-Day). The President finally signed the VA MISSION Act of 2018 upon which we have previously reported .
According to the VFW’s Action Corps Weekly of 8 June, “ ‘The VA MISSION Act will help improve the care our veterans get at the VA while leveraging the capabilities of the private sector when needed. It will help recruit the best talent at the VA, which is what our veterans deserve, and it also extends caregiver benefits to every veteran who needs it,’ … The VA MISSION Act was the result of a bipartisan and bicameral effort led by Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Sen. Johnny Isakson, Ranking Member Sen. Jon Tester and House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Rep. Phil Roe, M.D.” (more…)
The VFW reports in its Action Corps Weekly of 25 May , as the other 27 veterans organizations which supported this action certainly will:
Is there some good news on the horizon now that our legislators have found a way to pay for it? We are talking about H.R. 299 (Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017), which passed out of House Veterans Affairs Committee on 8 May. There is a long way to go, but in the past this bill has been killed in this committee. (more…)
S.544, a bill to amend the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to modify the termination date for the Veterans Choice Program, and for other purposes, headed to the President for signature on 7 April. This was relatively easy to do as the there was still $1 billion Read more…
On 5 May 2016, the Pennsylvania War Veterans Council (PWVC), an important association of the major veterans service organizations in the commonwealth, agreed to its legislative goals for 2016-2017. They should not be overlooked by our Governor and General Assembly, as they are germane to improving the care of our veterans, including those of the most recent generations: (more…)
On 1 December, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it again was making changes to its Veterans Choice Program after “learning from our stakeholders what works and what needs to be refined …” It is the second major announcement, since the program began on 5 November 2014. As previously reported, the “as the crow flies” 40 mile rule was changed to actual driving distance on 24 April 2015. A back story to this last announcement has been barely noticed. (more…)