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New Measures Signed Into Law Will Help Veterans
USVCP Staff Writers
October 26, 2018
The new Energy & Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veteran’s Affairs Appropriations Act, which was signed into law October 23, 2018, will have a massive impact on the lives and well-being of the Nation’s more than 22 million veterans.
For instance, the new measures require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to investigate easing the burden of filing disability claims for veterans who participated in clean-up activities in Palomares, Spain, and on Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Currently, veterans who served in Palomares, Spain, Enewetak Atoll and the Marshall Island are not presumed to have been previously exposed to radiation. When completing VA claims for disability compensation and/or medical assistance, those veterans were automatically denied service-connected disability.
The Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act was introduced as a measure to help veterans by providing healthcare benefits to those veterans who participated in the nuclear clean-up of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands during the late 1970s.
The other measures includes that the VA will conduct research on the prevalence of Cholangiocarcinoma, which is an extremely rare cancer caused by exposure to parasites in undercooked fish in Vietnam. Also, the measure includes language that requires research efforts to combat Cholangiocarcinoma.
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Donald Hardwick, 6/17/20
What about the Veterans stationed in Bavaria i.e Augsburg, Munich where the Chernobyl radiation Cloud dump on troops Apr 1986. Also lived in that environment until PCS.
Michael Hanlon, 6/17/20
I think Agent Orange was spayed in Ft. Polk in the sixties,however,proving it is another thing. I was there.
Ora Miles, 5/28/19
I would like to know if the gas chambers we had to go through in basic training and remove our masks have any connection with decreased health for veterans.
Dennis Kraft, 5/28/19
Why does the VA and our Government turn their back to veterans who were station at Aberdeen Proving Ground / Edgewood Area in the early 1970s with the chemical texting that was stopped in 1975. All they have to do is Google " a bad trip to Edgewood " to me the VA and our great Government hope those vets die and it's over.
Arthur Johnson, 10/28/18
I would like to no why the spraying of herbicides in boot camp back in 1974 at paris island sc is not rated like the herbicides that was in vietnam can someone tell me the difference Thank you there is no difference.
Ronald Murphy, 10/27/18
I would like to know if the VA subsidized solar paneling and energy efficient windows for veterans that are 100% T and P and if they do who do I contact. ASAP