VA Agent Orange Debate Reveals Dueling Considerations Of Liability, Responsibility And Science
A group of scientists within the Department of Veterans Affairs warned the agency that agreeing to pay cash benefits to airmen who say they were exposed to Agent Orange could set a dangerous financial precedent. But that's not supposed to matter.
ProPublica and The Virginian-Pilot:
On Agent Orange, VA Weighs Politics and Cost Along With Science
Last year, a group of federal scientists was debating whether as many as 2,100 Air Force veterans should qualify for cash benefits for ailments they claimed stemmed from flying aircraft contaminated by Agent Orange. ... The scientists within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs agreed the airmen had a strong case. But they had a more calculated concern: If the VA doled out cash to these veterans, others might want it too, according to an internal document obtained by ProPublica and The Virginian-Pilot. (Ornstein and Hixenbaugh 6/15)
In other veterans' health care news —
San Antonio Express-News:
Land Holding Veterans’ North Central Federal Clinic Is Sold
The land where the South Texas Veterans Health Care System built its North San Antonio outpatient clinic a decade ago has been sold, but the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said the clinic will continue providing patients a full range of health care services at that location. (O’Hare, 6/14)
