S. 832: Tell Congress To Support AO Children With Spina Bifida

Spina Bifida

INDIANA – Vietnam Veterans have another shot at getting health care for their children with spina bifida.

Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN) just proposed a bill that would force the VA to take action, S. 832. This bill requires the VA to provide care… or else.

For years, VA evaded the purpose and intent of Congress by neglecting their duty to help some veterans’ children born with certain birth defects. Specifically, VA is required to provide comprehensive health care to children born with spina bifida.

But like most things, the fight got ugly over the past five years for veterans trying to access the care for their children. Predictably, VA fought like hell to avoid providing the benefits.

Finally, the Senate got fed up and took action through Senator Donnelly’s bill, S. 832.

His solution is to require the VA to provide case management services and to provide the results to Senate. At little to no cost, this legislation will force VA to provide the care it’s supposed to provide.

We need your help by sending Congress a letter of support. It doesn’t need to be much. Just a quick letter like this:

“VA must provide care for these children. The law requires it, and it is the duty of this country to clean up the mess it created through Vietnam and through producing Agent Orange. These children did not ask to be born with birth defects like spina bifida. Our country will forever owe their parents a debt, and it can start making good on that by taking care of these children.”

Now, take action by sending your note to Congress below.

Here is the language of S. 832:

S. 832: A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out pilot programs on furnishing case management services and assisted living to children of Vietnam veterans and certain Korea service veterans born with spina bifida and children of women Vietnam veterans born with certain birth defects, and for other purposes.

 

Image Attribution

I would like to thank The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for allowing us to use the above copyrighted illustration of a fetus with spina bifida:

©2011 The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Visit www.chop.edu for more information. For more information about the treatment of spina bifida: https://www.chop.edu/service/fetal-diagnosis-and-treatment/fetal-diagnoses/spina-bifida.html

 

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6 Comments

  1. I hope the Congress can get the truth out of the Veterans Affairs Department cause I tried and the VA has lied and hung up the phone on me and mistreated me as an Iraq War Veteran, and I’m also the one with Spina Bifida and now PTSD cause they wouldn’t notify me of the possibility of me being born with Spina Bifida before I entered the Army. Honestly the VA need to be put through a trial and prosecuted, that’s the only way they will have to tell the truth. I know I would’ve never applied to the Army if I would’ve been told that I was born with Spina Bifida.

  2. Hello! I wanted to share with you a reply email from my Senator Sherrod Brown in-turn from contacting him about this prior to and this petition. He really went out on a limb and helped me with setting a fire under the VA with my Svc. Connected Disability Claim, but this email that I will copy hereafter acknowledges the change to law in 2008 and even gives a link to it’s content, but kind of odd no acknowledgement of the VA NOT following said guidelines…perhaps it’s political “covering his ass” in an albeit mostly generated form letter…but at least DOES state he will be following legislation regarding same. here it is:

    Thank you for expressing your views regarding the Spina Bifida Health Care Program.

    The program is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the birth children of Vietnam and certain Korean Veterans who have been diagnosed with spina bifida. Additional information is available at: https://www.va.gov/hac/factsheets/spina/FactSheet01-06.pdf.

    Effective October 10, 2008, there was a change to the benefits available under the Spina Bifida Program where medical services and supplies for beneficiaries are no longer limited to the spina bifida condition. This program now covers comprehensive health care considered medically necessary and appropriate.

    I will continue to support veterans and their families who have incurred health complications from their service in the Republic of Vietnam. As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I will certainly keep your views in mind as the Senate considers related legislation.

    Should you require further assistance, please feel free to contact my office toll-free at 1-888-896-6446. Thank you again for contacting me.

    Sincerely,

    Sherrod Brown

    United States Senator

    Ron, perhaps since he is ON the Senate Committee on Veteran’s Affairs and you now have contact info via this post, it may be pragmatic to let him have your personal affectation of the VA’s hardship from only your unique direct perspective could do to ensure “he is enlightened”!

    Robert

  3. Lisa Brown and Harold Bailey at the Denver VA Spina Bifida Program have contrived excuse after excuse to deny this care to my stepdaughter Honey Sue Newby. One day I hope to see Harold Bailey and Lisa Brown legally compelled to tell the truth about the REASONS for what they have done to Honey Sue Newby and the hundreds of OTHER agent orange spina bifida children. In my heart, I truly believe that the reason is MONEY. .

    1. Ron, you are not stating fact. It is unfortunate that you continue to misrepresent your situation. Harold Bailey

  4. This is really great! Has anyone thought about the VA being a further turd in path by then giving Ron and others the VA run-around by thereby making it incredibly hard to prove indeed it is Agent Orange connected (even though we know it is)??? We need to make sure the VA doesn’t continue this belligerence because they ARE BREAKING THE FREAKING LAW~!

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