This week, VA Secretary Denis McDonough vowed to crucially review the new rules for presumptive benefits for Vietnam Veterans with toxic exposure. However, he failed to give a specific timeline for when these rules will be implemented.
According to an article published by MilitaryTimes.com, “In January, officials from President Donald Trump’s VA leadership team said it could be months or years before veterans suffering from bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinson’s-like symptoms — three new conditions added presumptive benefits list by Congress last year — would see any benefits from the change in law. Past VA officials have argued against the move in part because of lingering questions about connections between the illnesses and chemical defoliant exposure…and in part because of the potential cost of the move, estimated at about $8 billion over the next 10 years.”