WASHINGTON — A lawsuit was filed
Monday against Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie over his
decision to delay claims processing for tens of thousands of “Blue Water” Navy
veterans until next year.
Military Veterans Advocacy and
the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association filed the lawsuit in the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, arguing Wilkie doesn’t have the
authority to delay work on the claims until Jan. 1, 2020 — a decision he
announced earlier this month.
Blue Water Navy veterans served
aboard aircraft carriers, destroyers and other ships in the territorial seas of
Vietnam and fought for years to prove they were exposed to the chemical
herbicide Agent Orange. Because of a federal court case and a new law passed by
Congress, they became eligible in June for VA disability compensation.
Advocates stressed in their
complaint that the veterans can’t afford to wait for benefits. The lawsuits
names one veteran, Johnnie Harper of Louisiana, who “is not expected to
survive” until 2020.
“These veterans are dying at a high rate every
single day,” the complaint reads. “[They] deserve the peace of mind and sense
of closure that accompanies a granted claim for earned benefits.”
No comments:
Post a Comment