HR 2254 Could Expand Benefits for Agent Orange Victims

Anybody who has applied for VA benefits alleging medical problems due to Agent Orange exposure knows about the “boots on the ground” requirement that requires that Veterans have had physical presence in Vietnam. The problem with this requirement is that many Vietnam era veterans were exposed to Agent Orange in areas outside of Vietnam including off shore, in the air, or in other countries such as Thailand. HR 2254 currently has the support of 200 house members of Congress and could expand benefits to all victims of Agent Orange exposure regardless of whether they had “boots on the ground” in Vietnam. Obviously, time is of the essence here since these Veterans health is ailing either due to Cancer that was caused by this exposure or some other health problem. Its unfortunate that this law was originally drafted so poorly and inequitably so as to exclude so many Veterans that were exposed to dangerous herbicides during the greater SE Asia conflict in the ’60s and ’70s.