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Delay In New Agent Orange Presumptives?

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JustPLS

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I read this today on Military.com's newsletter (Copyright 2010 Tom Philpott) and hadn't heard it before. Has anyone else heard of this? I am paraphrasing a bit, but a link to the entire article is below.

Webb: Delay Agent Orange Claims, Stop Bigger Pay Raises

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va) could become a new champion, for taxpayers, against what he perceives as excessive spending on a new wave of Agent Orange claims.

Webb risked the anger of thousands of veterans from that war when he won Senate approval last week of an amendment to block, at least temporarily, the Department of Veterans Affairs from paying new disability claims on three prominent diseases presumed linked to wartime herbicide exposure.

As many as 86,000 Vietnam veterans with ischemic heart disease, Parkinson's disease or B-cell leukemia are awaiting a final VA regulation to receive disability compensation based on a decision last fall by VA Secretary Shinseki of evidence linking these diseases with exposure to deadly defoliant used during the war.

VA officials not only have published interim regulations already but, for months, have been encouraging veterans stricken with these diseases, or their surviving spouses, to file new claims or re-file claims as soon as possible because benefits would be paid back to claim filing dates.

But Webb proposed, and senators accepted May 27, an amendment to the fiscal 2010 war supplemental funding bill (HR 4899) to limit spending on claims filed for these new presumptive Agent Orange diseases for 60 days. That will allow Congress time to study the VA decision and examine more closely the link found between these diseases and herbicide exposure.

What worries Webb, said one Capitol Hill source, is that, based on modest scientific evidence, VA could be paying claims on diseases that a large proportion of any population will contract through normal aging.

Webb's amendment language, if agreed to by the House, would invoke the Congressional Review Act which allows a funding freeze on any major government regulation or initiative so Congress can review the proposed changes. If in 60 days opposition strengthens and a majority of lawmakers will risk the wrath of expectant veterans with these ailments, Congress could pass a joint resolution to prevent a final regulation from taking effect.

a link to the entire article: http://www.military....00.html?wh=news

Edited by JustPLS
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I think it is totally ironic that Senator Webb introduced this amendment just prior to Memorial Day, the most important veterans observance of the year. The fact that 57 other elected Senators agreed with him is disgraceful.

A second irony is that Senator Webb immediately left on an Asian tour (probably at TAX PAYERS exspense). His actions have made him unavailable for commant.

At this point I am service connected for Prostate Cancer presumptive AO. (Korean DMZ 1968 with one of the units as identified by DOD) I say that to say this, I am glad that Senator Webb didn't make the decision for my SC.

Look up Hr 4899 and you can find out the yeas and nays on this amendment.

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Good evening folks...I have read the article about Sen. Webb,and strongly feel that there is also something else going on here. My belief is that Sen. Webb is just the front man for a movement in Congress to halt the movement toward more Agent Orange compensation ! I also see the foot dragging for the Bluewater vets as another sign.....and I dont see that bill ever comming to pass,all very sad indeed. I feel that Webb is the front man because he is a Vietnam vet and a jr Senator....and he has to play ball because thats how things are done!!!

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YIKERS! Catching up on my reading after being gone an extended time over the Memorial Day w/end, so am just now reading this disturbing delay tactic by Senator Webb. I know it's the w/end and all so responses can be slow on this site; but,if anybody reading this has some direction for me in finding out how our individual Senators voted on this, I'd appreciate it. We need to do more than just target Senator Webb, what we have to say won't matter as much to him unless we are from Virginia and can vote there!

Hopefully, if we send emails or letters to the entire Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, we'll make them aware that we are watching and that we VOTE! We need to find out how our individual Senators from each state voted. Many of them are coming up for re-election this November and they WILL pay attention to what our views are. I'm personally contacting our niece and her husband who vote in Virginia and any of our military buddies who live there and BEGGING for them to contact Senator Webb on our behalf.

Thanks to those of you who stay on top of the issues and keep the rest of us informed.

Lorraine

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Lorraine: The answer to your question is that the Admendment SA 4222 proposed by Senator Inouye for Senator Webb passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent on 5/27/2010.

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How to quickly send comments directly to your congressman...

Since Senator Webb's Amendment is going directly to the 111th Congress for review it's best to send an email directly to 'your' representative congressman… here's a quick way to do that that only requires your zip code.

(1)You'll need your zip code + 4-digit extension. If you don't already have it, look it up here first before going to the next link

(US Post Office Lookup site) http://www.usps.com/zip4

(2) Now, send comments to your congressman (he's the one who actually represents the household where you live and is part of the 111th Congress reviewing this amendment)

(Go to this link, enter the zip+4 and you're ready to send your comments)

https://writerep.hou...p/welcome.shtml

Feel free to pass these instructions on to every veteran's organization you can.

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