Senator Jim Webb got Senate approval to delay the VA from paying out new disability claims from the Vietnam War era presumably linked to exposure to herbicides. Last October, Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs, Eric K. Shinseki, announced that the VA had established a service-connection for Vietnam veterans with three specific illnesses that have long been associated with exposure to Agent Orange, used in Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia by American military to defoliate the area. These illnesses include B cell leukemias, Parkinson’s Disease, and ischemic heart disease.
Senator Webb proposed an amendment to the 2010 War Supplemental Funding Bill that would curtail spending on any new Agent Orange claims for 60 days, giving Congress additional time to review the VA’s decision.