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Senator Rockefeller's
letter to President ClintonUnited States Senate
Committee on Veterans Affairs
Washington, D.C. 20510-6375
May 1, 2000The Honorable William J. Clinton
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500Dear Mr. President,
I commend your recent decision to provide compensation to nuclear weapons workers for all diseases resulting from exposure to radiation in the Nation's nuclear bomb factories. It is long overdue for us to acknowledge the harm that was done to these workers and begin the process of compensating them.
As you know, the federal government in some cases provides compensation for illnesses resulting from radiation exposure to another category of people who also worked to protect our Nation -- veterans of military service. But through a confusing and often inconsistent tapestry of regulations and statutes, some atomic veterans are eligible for compensation for a disease, such as lung cancer, while other atomic veterans are not. Under your new ruling, the Administration is moving down a path where nuclear weapons factory workers would be compsensated for radiation-related conditions for which the majority of atomic veterans would not receive benefits under current VA regulations.
Mr. President, I believe it is time that we correct this grave injustice. VA already has the authority to add diseases to its list of "presumptive" conditions. As you know, if Congress were to do so, we would have to cut some other veterans programs. I urge you to address this issue now, as many of these veterans are dying before they receive the acknowledgment from their government that their conditions are service-related. Surely these veterans deserve the same consideration for the risks they faced from radiation exposure as those who worked in a civilian capacity.
I would appreciate your support in this effort.
Sincerely,
John D. Rockefeller IV,
Ranking Minority Member
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