Southern California congressman’s bill could mean benefits for Vietnam veterans who were stationed offshore

Rep. Mark Takano’s proposal, which aims to help those suffering from Agent Orange, is heading to President Donald Trump's desk

He couldn’t taste it. He couldn’t smell it. He couldn’t even see it.

But when Riverside-area resident George Swift, a Vietnam veteran and President of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 47, saw Inland chapter members develop Parkinson’s Disease, cancers and more, he realized Agent Orange was around him during the Vietnam War — though he never stepped foot in the country.

“I served on ships … (and) we made our fresh water from sea water,” he said. “The sea water was the water that we drank and we bathed in. That water was contaminated.”

Despite seeing similar symptoms as veterans who served on land, Swift says his fellow veterans were denied medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs because they were offshore.

Now, in a new bill sponsored by Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, Vietnam veterans such as Swift — called Blue Water Veterans because of their deployment off the coast of Vietnam — could receive federal medical benefits for being exposed to the toxic chemical.

The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, which is Takano’s first standalone bill, unanimously passed the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, June 12, and is a presidential signature away from becoming law. The bill from Takano, chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, passed the House unanimously.

“Tonight, we can finally tell the tens of thousands of veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War but wrongly denied benefits that justice is finally coming,” Takano said in a June 12 statement.

The bill would ensure benefits for all soldiers stationed within a certain boundary off the coast of Vietnam who may have come into contact with the substance through drinking water, contaminated air or other means.

The chemical, which contains the known carcinogen dioxin, was used to burn nearly 12,000 square miles of dense forest cover during the Vietnam War and is linked to cancer, birth defects and immune system difficulty in humans. Millions of Vietnamese people are still suffering from Agent Orange exposure; for former U.S. soldiers, that number is far less.

Previously, Blue Water veterans had to prove they were exposed to Agent Orange. Now, the bill states, the VA would have to presume they were — just as it already does for Vietnam veterans who served on land and rivers in the country.

For Swift, who lives in the Woodcrest community, that would mean finally looking into medical benefits from his skin cancer that may have been caused by Agent Orange.

“I always wondered if I was exposed,” he said. “It’s just really good that it finally got a legislator to put some sense into this whole thing.”

Takano’s bill is similar to one that was introduced in last year’s Congress but stalled in the Senate over financial concerns. But earlier this year, a case in the U.S. Court of Appeals may have made the effort redundant: A 9-2 decision in January ruled that the VA can’t deny benefits to Blue Water vets.

Still, Takano said in an emailed statement, the bill is necessary to make sure veterans get their benefits.

“(The decision) was a huge step forward, but we need more,” he said. “Our bill includes crucial ‘geocoordinates’ that clarify the territory off the coast of Vietnam that (the) VA must recognize when deciding claims for disability compensation for herbicide-related diseases.”

In addition, the bill would guarantee benefits for soldiers deployed in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone from September 1967 through August 1971 and for children with spina bifida whose parents served in Thailand during the Vietnam War. An add-on to the bill also made changes to VA home loan program.

“Now we call on President Trump to sign HR 299 and finally finish this fight,” Takano said in a statement. “These veterans have waited long enough.”

It is not known when the bill will reach President Donald Trump’s desk.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that Rep. Mark Takano made the statement explaining why he thinks the bill is necessary.