Agent Orange Small Victories

Agent Orange Advocacy http://covvha.net/

© 2014 ‎(COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC
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Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2015 S.2082. passed the Senate, House, and was signed by the President September 30th, 2015. Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance (COVVHA) wants to take a moment to update everyone on a very busy week for us. As many know the Agent Orange Act of 1991 was set to expire September 30th. COVVHA went to its social media connections asking for help in bringing awareness to our policy makers. You delivered and we thank you.

People all around the country answered the call by sending letters and calling their representatives. Still others dutifully shared the legislation to their social media circles. COVVHA members also called Commanders of Veterans Organizations like the VFW, American Legions and DAV across the United States informing them of the extension. We would like to thank the legislative department of the Fleet Reserves Association (FRA) as well as everyone who pushed.

Ultimately, the Agent Orange extension was rolled into Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2015 S.2082. The extension passed the Senate, House, and was signed by the President September 30th, 2015.

SEC 408.Extension of authority to enter into agreement with the National Academy of Sciences regarding associations between diseases and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides
Section 3(i) of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 (Public Law 102–4; 38 U.S.C. 1116 note) is amended by striking December 31, 2015 and inserting December 31, 2016.

This of course is a victory, however small. The extension is for only one year which is not enough time for another cycle of National Academy of Science research review to be completed. They are mandated to be completed every two. So you guessed it, we will be right here again next September pushing for another extension. It is worth it because the science is finally catching up with what Veterans and their families have known for a very long time, the damage from exposure to herbicides has a reach across generations. There is much work left to be done.

Tuesday the 29th, hosted a Veterans Affairs Senate Committee hearing in Washington D.C., it was titled, Examining the Impact of Exposure to Toxic Chemicals on Veterans and the VA’s Response. The hearing lasted a little over two hours. It covered issues such as presumptive care for the Blue Water Navy Veterans, Camp Lejeune’s poisoned victims, and a proposed research center for all descendants of veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. The hearing will be covered in depth next week here. However, COVVHA strongly supports the Blue Water Navy bill S. 681. We also extend our compassion to all victims of poisoned water from Camp Lejeune.

We were excited as words of epigenetic research were spoken during the hearing in reference to decedents of those exposed. One thing was made clear during the hearing; the VA does not want the responsibility of doing the research on descendants of toxic exposure. There was discussion of contracting research out to other governmental agencies. More on that next week. Today let’s celebrate our win…

Have a great weekend everyone,
Heather Bowser
Vice President
Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

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© 2014 ‎(COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC
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(COVVHA) Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC. AO2GEN