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SecNav and Others
Confirmed by Senate
House Passes Veterans Bills
VA May Expand Ailments Associated with Agent Orange Herbicide
Newsbytes Schedule
SecNav and Others
Confirmed by Senate
Eight Department of Defense
nominees were confirmed by a voice vote in the Senate, which increased the
Pentagon staffing. The prolonged Senate process reached an agreement between
both parties, confirming Richard Spencer as the new Secretary of the Navy, Ellen
Lord as the new undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Lucian Niemeyer
and Robert Hood, both as assistant secretaries of defense. The confirmations
double the number of nominees for the Pentagon confirmed by the Senate. There
were only seven other defense officials who went through the same process since
January.
House Passes Veterans
Bills
The House recently approved
several legislative proposals pertaining to veterans.
The proposed bills include:
• The "Global War on
Terrorism Memorial Act" (H.R.873) that authorizes the Global War on Terror
Memorial Foundation to establish memorial on GWOT,
• The "Military Residency
Choice Act" (H.R.282) that allow a military spouse to elect to use same
residency as service member for purposes of taxation and voting,
• the "Veterans' Access to
Child Care Act" (H.R.95), which would make a pilot program for child care
at VA facilities a permanent program for veterans receiving care on a regular
basis,
• The "VA Procurement
Efficiency and Transparency Act" (H.R.2006) that increases transparency in
VA procurement and
• The "VA Bonus Transparency
Act" (H.R.1690) which requires VA to submit annual report on paying
bonuses.
The bills have moved to the Senate
for further consideration.
VA May Expand Ailments
Associated with Agent Orange Herbicide
The Institute of Medicine's (IOM)
10th and final review of medical literature on health effects of herbicide
exposure in Vietnam was issued March 2016. The report supports the connection
between herbicide exposure and bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and
Parkinson-like symptoms. Specifically, IOM found "limited or
suggestive" evidence of an association to herbicide versus its previous
finding of "inadequate or insufficient" evidence. In response to the
report, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has said it will make a
decision about possible expansion no later than November 1, 2017. Currently the
VA has 14 "presumptive diseases" linked to herbicide exposure. Adding
the three ailments would increase the number of Vietnam War veterans eligible
for disability compensation and health care.
Newsbytes Schedule
The House and Senate are on their
August recess and will not return to Capitol Hill until Tuesday, September 5,
2017. Due to this break, the next issue of Newsbytes will be September 8,
2017.
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