Congressmember John Katko picked up the torch today in the effort to properly compensate certain Vietnam Veterans and their families wounded by Agent Orange. He’s introducing the Larry Hackett Junior Vietnam Veterans Agent Orange Fairness Act, named in honor of a local veteran who lost his battle with cancer from agent orange exposure in 2006 at the age 58. Katko says the bill will create a task force that will research the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnam War veterans and find ways to care for them and their families.
"Not enough of the coordinated study has been done and not enough of a coordinated analysis has been done to blow the issue off this issue once and for all"
Katko’s predecessor Dan Maffei and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand have also worked on similar legislation for the past few years, hoping to address gaps in Veterans Administration coverage. Katko hopes his legislation is only the beginning.
"From this legislation is going to spawn a much more detailed legislation once we get to the bottom of just how pervasive of an issue it is. What the task force is going to do is assess not only the exposure to the veterans but also to their families which is very very important ."
Because, Katko says, there’s increasing evidence that children and grandchildren of veterans are suffering from birth defects and other illnesses. Onondaga County Court Judge Joseph Fahey was the best friend of the late Sergeant Hackett. He says legislation is long overdue.
"The heroes who are exposed to agent orange during their service and the families who love and care for them deserve the assistant that this fund will provide. Together we have been fighting for the past 8 years to get this issue before congress."
A law passed by congress in 1991 requires the Veterans Administration to provide presumptive coverage to veterans with diseases and cancers linked to Agent Orange exposure. But in 2002, the VA limited coverage to veterans who could prove they had orders for “boots on the ground” in Vietnam. That exclusion affects as many as 250,000 sailors, known as blue water veterans, who might have been exposed to the defoliant off-shore.
