VA plans to ease disability claims tied to Agent Orange
October 14th, 2009From the New York Times:
Forty years after Agent Orange was last used in Vietnam, the federal government has plans to make it easier for former veterans to get disability payments and health care for illnesses they say were caused by exposure to the toxic defoliant.
The shift underscores efforts by the secretary of veterans affairs, Eric Shinseki, a retired Army chief of staff and a Vietnam veteran himself, to reduce obstacles to sick or disabled veterans’ receiving benefits. The department has come under sharp criticism from Congress and veterans groups for long delays in processing disability claims.
“Since my confirmation as secretary, I’ve often asked why, 40 years after Agent Orange was last used in Vietnam, we’re still trying to determine the health consequences to our veterans who served in the combat theater,” Mr. Shinseki said in a statement. “Veterans who endure a host of health problems deserve timely decisions.”
It’s estimated that the policy change could prompt claims from 200,000 veterans.
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December 17th, 2009 at 5:29 am
I would like the New York Times to devote a section of their newspaper to Agent Orange news because I believe the news has not been told about the lives of veterans who have suffered for up to forty years now.