On the recordNovember 17, 2010
as chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, today, I am introducing legislation that would expand an existing VA benefit program for certain children with spina bifida. These benefits are currently provided under chapter 18 of title 38, United States Code, to the natural children of veterans who were exposed to herbicides such as Agent Orange, in Vietnam or near the Demilitarized Zone, DMZ, in Korea during the Vietnam era. Current law provides benefits for the natural children of veterans exposed to herbicides only if the veteran served in a specific location, during a specific time frame. VA reports that 1,222 children currently receive these benefits and that only 10 of these receive them based on the service of a parent who served in outside of Vietnam. However, VA has conceded that certain veterans who worked on the perimeter of Air Force bases in Thailand outside of the locations provided in current law during the Vietnam era were exposed to herbicides. As a result, children of those veterans suffering from spina bifida are excluded from the benefits provided based solely on where the exposure occurred. The legislation I am introducing today would correct this inequity. Because only a very small number of children whose veteran parent served outside of Vietnam currently receive benefits, I expect only a small number of children would qualify for benefits under this bill. However, it is an inequity that should be remedied.
