HI SCR84

Urges United States Congress to restore presumption of service connection for Agent Orange exposure to veterans who served in Vietnamese waters and airspace defined by the combat zone, not just those with "boots on the ground"

Notes that approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were sprayed in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971, and that the 1991 Agent Orange Act recognized certain diseases as service-connected but excluded offshore exposure

States that Blue Water Navy personnel were exposed to airborne toxins and contaminated waters despite lacking ground presence, and that the Centers for Disease Control found higher cancer rates among Navy veterans

References the federal Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2013, which is supported by more than 30 veterans' service organizations, as the mechanism to address inequities in current law

Requests Congress enter this resolution into the Congressional Record and direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to administer the Agent Orange Act to include exposure in inland waterways, offshore waters, and airspace over the entire combat zone