{"id":68055,"date":"2021-02-23T22:40:14","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T22:40:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-urgency-in-implementing-new-agent-orange-presumptive-benefits-rules\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T16:13:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T16:13:49","slug":"va-secretary-promises-urgency-in-implementing-new-agent-orange-presumptive-benefits-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-urgency-in-implementing-new-agent-orange-presumptive-benefits-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"VA secretary promises \u2018urgency\u2019 in implementing new Agent Orange presumptive benefits rules"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough on Tuesday promised an \u201curgent\u201d review of new rules regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/12\/02\/vietnam-veterans-with-high-blood-pressure-other-serious-illnesses-would-get-presumptive-benefit-status-in-final-defense-budget-bill\/\" target=_blank>presumptive benefits status for Vietnam veterans<\/a> suffering from serious illnesses related to toxic chemical defoliant exposure, but offered no specific timeline for when veterans may see those changes put in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re under the gun on this, and I think that\u2019s a good thing,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/02\/09\/new-va-secretary-promises-unity-around-work-to-reform-veterans-programs\/\" target=_blank>McDonough<\/a> told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday. \u201cI feel some urgency on this \u2026 and we are trying to get spun up on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In January, officials from President Donald Trump\u2019s VA leadership team said it could be months or years before veterans suffering from bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinson\u2019s-like symptoms \u2014 three new conditions added presumptive benefits list by Congress last year \u2014 would see any benefits from the change in law.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/06\/26\/benefits-for-blue-water-veterans-finalized-after-years-long-fight\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP_691224042.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Benefits for \u2018blue water\u2019 veterans finalized after years-long fight<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The move ends a years-long fight to get faster disability benefits for up to 90,000 Navy veterans who served in Vietnam.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans advocates for years have fought for years to force the change, which would give about 34,000 Vietnam veterans a faster path to receiving disability benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Past VA officials have argued against the move in part because of lingering questions about connections between the illnesses and chemical defoliant exposure (although National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine officials have said the science linking the two is conclusive) and in part because of the potential cost of the move, estimated at about $8 billion over the next 10 years<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Congress sided with the veterans advocates, putting language in the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act forcing the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the bill\u2019s passage, VA officials said the regulatory process to implement the new rules can take up to 24 months. McDonough indicated he hopes to move much quicker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo many of the vets have been waiting while on this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/02\/23\/va-secretary-promises-diverse-leadership-team-but-cant-say-when-theyll-be-in-place\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21027792855429.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">VA secretary promises diverse leadership team, but can\u2019t say when they\u2019ll be in place<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Denis McDonough said that finding the right leaders for the department is among his first priorities in office.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonough also promised to re-examine a related issue: the connection between hypertension and Agent Orange exposure, one that medical experts have said is strong but not as conclusive as the other approved illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adding high-blood pressure to the presumptive list could potentially more than double the cost to VA, and benefit as many as 160,000 veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople often are inclined to focus first on the cost,\u201d McDonough said. \u201cI want to focus first on the facts and on the data.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>But Denis McDonough did not offer a specific timeline on when veterans will see changes put in 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