A bipartisan bill introduced Thursday would allow Vietnam veterans who served in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War to qualify for disability benefits related to Agent Orange exposure.
April 15 (UPI) — A bipartisan bill introduced Thursday would allow Vietnam veterans who served in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War to qualify for disability benefits related to Agent Orange exposure. Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs mandates that veterans who served in southeast Asian countries other than Vietnam during the war provide evidence of exposure to the herbicide in order to qualify for benefits. The Veterans Agent Orange Exposure Equity Act, introduced by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Penn., would allow veterans who served in some other countries during the conflict to access benefits without providing additional evidence. «Our veterans are heroes and deserve to be treated as such. I am proud to join Rep. Cartwright in introducing legislation that will ensure our Vietnam War veterans who served in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia receive the care they deserve now, and I urge my colleagues in Congress to work across the aisle to support these men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country,» Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
