U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) took to the Senate floor this
week to draw attention to the plight of Vietnam-era veterans struggling to get
benefits for illnesses related to toxic herbicide Agent Orange.
In his speech, Warner called on the Trump administration to
reverse its decision to block an expansion of approved Agent Orange–related
conditions that automatically qualify a veteran for benefits.
According to documents obtained by the Military Times, in
early 2018 White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick
Mulvaney blocked a request by then-Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin
to add three medical conditions (bladder cancer, Parkinson’s-like symptoms and
hypothyroidism) to the list of approved Agent Orange–related conditions.
The documents reveal that an estimated 83,000 veterans would
have been made eligible for coverage if the decision had gone through.
“There is more than enough evidence to expand the list of
Agent Orange–related conditions. We should be thanking these veterans for their
service, not nickel and diming them,” Sen. Warner said. “I urge my colleagues
to listen to the veterans in their states. And I urge the White House to let
the V-A provide these veterans with the benefits they’ve earned.”
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