February 26, 2021 – Disability payments to more than 160,000 veterans could be added if high blood pressure is added to the list of presumed illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure. Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester stated, “I think it’s nearly criminal that they don’t already have those benefits.”
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medine state there is a likely connection between hypertension and Agent Orange, and Senate lawmakers are determined to add hypertension to the list of presumed conditions caused by exposure to Agent Orange.
In 2020, lawmakers added bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinson’s-like symptoms to the list of presumed conditions and this article state lawmakers are working on the details of how that change will be implemented and when affected veterans will start to see payouts.
Reference: Shane, III, Leo, “Adding high blood pressure to list of presumptive Agent Orange illnesses a key focus for lawmakers this year”, militarytimes.com, https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2021/02/26/adding-high-blood-pressure-to-list-of-presumptive-agent-orange-illnesses-a-key-focus-for-lawmakers-this-year/
