Coldwater Daily Reporter: Peters cosponsors legislation expanding coverage for veterans

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently announced that he is cosponsoring the bipartisan Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act to help ensure that Vietnam veterans who served aboard deepwater naval vessels, known as “Blue Water” veterans, are eligible for the disability and health care benefits for illnesses linked to exposure to Agent Orange.

Currently, care directly linked to Agent Orange exposure is only available to veterans who served on the ground in Vietnam or aboard a vessel in an inland waterway.

Michigan is home to over 650,000 veterans, including more veterans from the Vietnam era than any other generation.

“Our brave men and women in uniform make tremendous sacrifices in service to our country, and it is unconscionable that so many of our U.S. Navy Vietnam veterans are not able to access the benefits they earned through their service,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.