SLIDELL, LA – The executive director of Military-Veterans Advocacy, a non-profit dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of active-duty service men and women and veterans, will testify before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs next week.
Cdr. John B. Wells, USN (Ret.), will address the committee as part of its hearing entitled, "Examining the impact of exposure to toxic chemicals on veterans and the VA's response" in the Russsell Senate Office Building at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 29, 2015.
Wells and his Slidell, LA, organization have long advocated for a restoration of Agent Orange benefits for Navy veterans who served off the coast of Vietnam. In previous testimony, Wells has presented evidence that sailors who never set foot on Vietnamese soil were nonetheless exposed to Agent Orange. The toxic dioxin entered the bays, harbor and territorial seas via wind drift and through runoff that was then ingested into shipboard water systems. This resulted in exposure via the ship's water, bathing and food preparation facilities. The Veterans Administration had previously recognized this exposure and provided benefits for ensuing medical conditions, but rescinded that recognition in 2002. Restoring these benefits could affect as many as 174,000 veterans.
"Every chance I have to speak to this issue before our law- and policy-makers is another opportunity to restore benefits for these servicemen and their families," Wells said. "I look forward to addressing these important issues in Washington again next week and will continue to advance this cause on every front."
Wells met with Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson last week to address this issue. Calling the meeting "productive," Wells stated that the VA was rethinking their position. Wells also met with officials from the Veterans Affairs Committee for both the Senate and House of Representatives. Several court cases brought by Military-Veterans Advocacy continue to wind their way through the courts.
"I think we have the attention of both the VA and the Congress,” Wells said. “This upcoming hearing shows the level of interest on the Hill and within the Executive Branch.”
