Vietnam Veterans of America calls request the Senate to pass/rename HR 299 as the the John S. McCain Blue Water Navy Act

[boardman]

Vietnam Veterans of America calls request the Senate to pass and rename H.R. 299, as the the John S. McCain Blue Water Navy Act

PRESS RELEASE

VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 27, 2018

No. 17-21

Mokie Porter
301-996-0901

Vietnam Veterans of America Calls for the Senate to Pass H.R. 299, and Rename it the John S. McCain Blue Water Navy Bill

(Washington, DC)--- "Vietnam Veterans of America calls on the U.S. Senate to honor Vietnam War hero and Navy veteran John S. McCain by passing H.R. 299, The Blue Water Navy Act, and renaming this critical bill in his honor," said John Rowan, VVA National President.

"From his time in captivity in the Hanoi Hilton, where he spurned his captors' offer of early release, putting his fellow POWs first, to his final battle with glioblastoma, Senator John McCain has led an unparalleled life of service to our nation and his fellow Americans. Let us honor the service and sacrifice of Senator McCain by taking care of his fellow Navy Vietnam veterans, who are sick and dying due to their military service, and who unable to receive treatment and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs," said Rowan.

"Senator McCain's final battle with glioblastoma, and more broadly cancer, is a fight that Vietnam veterans and our families know all too well. Countless patriots' lives have been cut short, many of them related to Agent Orange, the toxic herbicide used to defoliate the jungles and waterways," noted Rowan.

In an abrupt about face, in February 2002, the VA changed its rules, arbitrarily terminating benefits to the 534,300-plus Blue Water U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and FMF Marine veterans serving in the waters of Southeast Asia, thereby limiting the scope of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 to those veterans who could provide proof of "boots on the ground" in Vietnam. Suddenly, offshore veterans stopped receiving VA health care and disability compensation.

"The John S. McCain Blue Water Navy Bill/Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017, when signed into law, would right this wrong and partially restore coverage to those aggrieved veterans who suffer from illnesses considered presumptive to exposure to Agent Orange and other toxic herbicides. This is a fitting tribute to a leader who has put the needs of his men before his own," said Rowan.

[boardman]

BLUE WATER NAVY VETS NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
Contact your Senator NOW and ask them to please support H.R. 299 Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2018
Take Action!

Vietnam Veterans of America - Legislative Alert
November 29, 2018
Congress is very close to finally passing Blue Water Navy legislation, but unless the Senate acts in the next two weeks, that effort will fail.
For over a decade, Vietnam Veterans of America has sought legislation to restore presumptive Agent Orange exposure status to members of the Armed Forces, who served in the territorial waters of Vietnam. H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2018, passed the House by a vote of 382-0 on June 25, 2018.
When the bill is enacted into law, “Blue Water” veterans who served off the coast of Vietnam, veterans who served near the demilitarized zone in Korea, and certain veterans who served in Thailand will again be eligible for compensation for service-connected, disabilities related to their exposure to Agent Orange.
VVA believes Congress should recognize that these veterans were exposed to Agent Orange and should authorize presumptive status for VA disability claims associated with this exposure. Now is the time to contact your Senators to ask them to support this bill.
Take Action enter your zip code, and send the prepared letters to your Senator requesting that Senator Isakson, Chair, Senate Veterans Affair Committee move H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2018, out of committee and on to the Senate floor for a vote and passage.
Please follow-up your letter with a call to the Senate switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senator.
These veterans are aging, and the time to help them is now!