The Department of Veterans Affairs says it plans to
prioritize benefits for certain Agent Orange-exposed veterans, veteran suicide
prevention, a new electronic health record system and caregiver benefits in
2020.
VA spokeswoman Christina Mandreucci described them as 2020
"milestones" for VA.
Agent Orange
In January, "VA will do something past administrations
did not: begin deciding presumptive claims for Blue Water Navy veterans,"
Mandreucci told Connecting Vets.
VA said it began processing Blue Water Navy Vietnam veteran
claims for Agent Orange disability benefits on Jan. 1, 2020. It was not,
however, a VA-led initiative -- it was Congressionally mandated in the Blue
Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act passed by Congress and signed into law by
President Donald Trump in 2019.
VA delayed deciding those claims until 2020 after the
legislation passed, as first reported by Connecting Vets, prompting at least
one lawsuit from veterans.
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