NEWS FROM….

CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS

RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

    U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Washington, DC – Long associated with service in Vietnam, Congressman Lane Evans of Illinois, the Ranking Democrat on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, today reported some veterans who served near the Demilitarized Zone in Korea during 1968 and 1969 may also have been exposed to Agent Orange. According to the Department of the Army, herbicide use has been documented in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Korea during 1968 and 1969. It now appears that the Army has identified specific military units assigned to areas near the DMZ during 1968 and 1969 when herbicides were used.

Evans encouraged the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to obtain specific information concerning the units likely to have been affected from the Department of Defense. "I hope VA will catalogue Department of Defense information on possibly exposed units in a manner similar to that done for atomic veterans exposed to specific atmospheric tests," Evans said. "I ask that each veteran identified as having been assigned to the potentially affected units will not be required to prove individual exposure to herbicides, which is very difficult." Evans encourages veterans who served in Korea during 1968 and 1969 to participate in VA’s Agent Orange Registry.

"Veterans who served in Korea or other areas outside Southeast Asia where Agent Orange was used may have experienced greater difficulty obtaining service-connected compensation from the VA for disabilities linked to Agent Orange than veterans with the same disabilities who served in Vietnam," said Evans. "This appears to be changing. VA policy now grants service-connection to disabled veterans with any of the same diseases it recognizes for Vietnam veterans, if these veterans can establish they were exposed to relevant herbicides in Korea or other areas." Affected veterans still must prove actual exposure to Agent Orange or other related herbicides.

In a letter to VA Under Secretary for Benefits Joseph Thompson, Evans noted that this issue is of particular interest to him because of his long-standing concerns about the health effects of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides during military service. "Since the scientific community has recognized an association between certain herbicides used in the Republic of Vietnam and illnesses listed in VA regulations, I am pleased that VA has agreed to acknowledge the association once a veteran with a listed condition establishes exposure to the relevant herbicide in an area other than Vietnam," Evans said. He commended VA for its policy that can help prove service-connection for specified illnesses and urged VA to promulgate regulations stating clearly its position.

The illnesses that the regulations list are chlorachne, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy, porphyria cutanea tarda, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers and soft-tissue sarcoma. Additionally, VA has announced its intention to add adult-onset diabetes to the list. "In order to be sure that affected veterans are aware of VA’s policy," Evans wrote, "I strongly encourage you to promulgate regulations stating clearly VA’s position on service-connection for veterans exposed to herbicides in an area other than Vietnam."