JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. \u2014 A measure headed to President Donald Trump\u2019s desk could help World War II veterans exposed to mustard gas by the military, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The measure, which the Senate passed as part of another bill to expand college aid for military veterans, would require the Veterans Affairs Department to reconsider disability benefits denied to those who claimed the testing caused health problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McCaskill said the military tested the effects of mustard gas and the blister agent lewisite on about 60,000 veterans by the end of World War II. Her office estimates a couple hundred participants could still be alive, including 90-year-old Missouri resident Arla Harrell, for whom the bill was named.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt says to Arla Harrell, \u2018We believe you,\u2019\u201d McCaskill said. \u201cAnd that is a very important thing to say to Arla and other men like him who were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for their country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman didn\u2019t immediately comment Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harrell\u2019s daughter, Beverly Howe, says he had mustard agents dabbed on his skin and was placed in a gas chamber without protections in southwestern Missouri\u2019s Camp Crowder after he enlisted in the Army in 1945. He\u2019s since had lung issues and skin cancer, but has been denied benefits. He and other veterans were sworn to secrecy until 1991, complicating efforts to get benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen these men were released from this vow of secrecy, our country did not stand up at that point and say, \u2018We got it. We\u2019ve got your back,\u2019\u201d Howe said. \u201cThat\u2019s where I find the moral ground for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If signed by Trump, the legislation will require the Veterans Affairs Department to assume those who served at sites where McCaskill\u2019s office says testing occurred and are trying again to get benefits are telling the truth and would need to prove otherwise. Other provisions would require investigations by the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McCaskill says the policy change is estimated to cost about $9 million over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A measure headed to President Donald Trump\u2019s desk could help World War II veterans exposed to mustard gas by the military, Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill said Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":79721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":68,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,12,25,68,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1808],"class_list":["post-42571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"QUUJOOWSCVBSLNGCIOENS5IIOU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/08\/04\/mccaskill-plan-to-help-world-war-ii-vets-exposed-to-mustard-gas-passes\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n