House Passes Harder Legislation Providing Benefits to Additional Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
Last year Harder passed legislation to provide benefits to 34,000 veterans exposed to Agent Orange; this legislation provides benefits to an estimated 50,000 Vietnam veterans exposed to toxins during their service
WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives voted to pass the Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act 2022 which will provide new and expanded medical benefits to hundreds of thousands of veterans across the country. The bill includes legislation authored by Representative Josh Harder expanding the pool of Vietnam veterans eligible for benefits due to exposure to Agent Orange.
Last year, Rep. Harder successfully passed legislation extending benefits to more than 34,000 veterans experiencing bladder cancer, Parkinsonism, or hypothyroidism due to a toxic exposure during their service. This legislation adds hypertension and Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) to this list, opening up additional health care benefits to an estimated 50,000 Vietnam veterans.
“When our veterans enlist, they make a promise to keep us safe and we promise in return we’ll support them the rest of their lives. I’m tired of seeing our side of the promise go unfulfilled,” said Rep. Harder. “Today is a huge step in the right direction to fulfilling that promise by opening health care benefits to more than 50,000 of our Vietnam veterans exposed to toxins like Agent Orange during their service. We’ve passed this bill through the House, now it’s on to the Senate and then to the President to sign it into law.”
Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and have certain medical conditions get access to benefits and support through the VA. However, before Rep. Harder’s successful pushes, veterans with bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, Parkinsonism, and hypertension were not included – despite comprehensive medical evidence linking these conditions to Agent Orange exposure.
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