MacArthur Legislation to Help Veterans Passes out of Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman MacArthur, whose father served during the Korean War, today announced that bipartisan legislation he introduced to help veterans who are suffering from Agent Orange or other herbicide-related conditions has passed out of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

The Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act (H.R.3605) expands the time frame of eligibility for disability compensation for veterans who served at or near the Korean DMZ and are suffering from herbicide-related conditions.  Currently, that time frame is between April 1, 1968 and August 3rd, 1971. This legislation will change the eligibility date to September 1, 1967 for these veterans, allowing them to receive the health care they have earned. This bill received bipartisan support from 39 Members of Congress and was endorsed by both the VFW and the American Legion.

The text of this legislation was included in an amendment to the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act that was offered by Chairman Phil Roe, M.D., of Tennessee.

“The inclusion of the Fairness for Korean DMZ Veterans Act in the bill which passed committee today, is a major victory for our Korean War veterans. I started working on this issue thanks to a meeting with Garfield Harper, a Korean War Veteran who lives in Burlington County. This is a major step in righting a wrong that far too many veterans have lived with for too long,” said Congressman Tom MacArthur.

“I’m grateful for the committee’s work on this important package of bills and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to see this bill approved by the full House of Representatives. Our district is home to over 50,000 veterans and I believe we have an absolute obligation to provide quality care for them. They have sacrificed so much for our freedoms and now it’s up to us to fight for them.”