Washington, DCVeterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki recently defended the proposal for veterans disability benefits to those who served in Vietnam and developed heart disease, on the basis that studies have shown a strong link between the condition and the defoliant Agent Orange.
Concerns had been raised about the cost of the program but Shinseki told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that he is required by law to give veterans benefits for any diseases that have been scientifically linked to Agent Orange, according to the Associated Press.
Shineski, a Vietnam veteran himself, pointed out that six of nine studies that were reviewed by his agency showed a substantial link between heart disease and the toxic defoliant and that the research "more than satisfies" the legal requirements.
The agency estimates that the extension of such veterans benefits would cost about $67 billion over the next decade, with each affected former service member receiving about $1,000 per month.
However, some have questioned the connection between Agent Orange and heart disease.
"We have sometimes up here an uncomfortable duty to ask the hard questions," said Virginia Senator Jim Webb, a Vietnam combat veteran. Webb also said that there are too many unknowns regarding the development of heart disease.
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