Congress Heard Your Voices, 304 Member of Congress Now Support The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act

New Interactive Map Helps ‘Blue Water’ Vietnam Veterans Locate Ship Positions

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act claims Now Being Determined

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Eligible for Benefits on 1 January 2020 by P.L. 116-23

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019

PUBLIC LAW 116–23—JUNE 25, 2019

Oct 31 – VA Stay of Blue Water Navy Claims

Oct 30 – Will VA Be Ready to Process New ‘Blue Water’ Vietnam Veterans Benefits Next Year?

July 24 – Advocates Sue VA Secretary Over Delaying Blue Water Claims

July 15 – After Successful Passage of His Blue Water Navy Legislation, Tester Leads Call for VA to Provide Timely Benefits to Vietnam & Korean War Veterans

Jul 12 – VVA to VA Secretary: Reverse Stay on Blue Water Navy Claims; Adjudicate Claims Under Procopio

Jul 5 – VA Secretary Wilkie Orders 'Stay' on Blue Water Veteran Disability Benefits Cases Until 2020

Jun 13 – Easily Passed ‘Blue Water’ Bill Could Block Benefits For Thousands of Veterans

Jun 11 – Legislative Alert – The Senate is Expected to Vote This Week on H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act

Jun 7 – New Update In VA Lawfare Against Vietnam War Veterans

Jun 5 – Victory at Last for Blue Water Navy Veterans: Department of Justice Drops Procopio Decision Appeal

May 14 – Houses Passes H.R. 299 Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veteran Act by a Vote of 410-0

May 13 – House Committee on Veterans Affairs Holds Press Conference on H.R. 299, Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019

May 8 – House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Passes 18 Bills Out of Committee

Mar 26 – Budget Request For Fiscal Year 2020

Mar 26 – VA to Drop Fight Against Blue Water Navy Veterans

Mar 16 – Appeal from the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in No. 15-4082, Judge Coral Wong Pietsch

Feb 15 – Procopio v. Wilkie

Dec 20 – VVA Lambasts the Two Senators and the VA for Killing the “Blue Water Navy” Bill

Dec 12 – VVA Condemns Obstruction of “Blue Water Navy” Bill by Sen. Enzi

Dec 11 – Deal to Extend Benefits for ‘Blue Water’ Vietnam Veterans Appears Dead for This Year

Dec 3 – The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act HR299 is on hold because of two senators. Senator Mike Enzi, Wyoming and Senator Mike Lee, Utah.

I am asking everyone to call these two senators and implore them to pass this bill. The attachment has all the information needed, their names and phone numbers. Please help to encourage them to move this bill through as soon as possible, like tomorrow.

I am calling in support of HR 299 “ The Blue Water Navy Veterans Act of 2017”

(Leave Your Name and Phone Number) This Bill has been Hot Lined by the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs

And is currently on hold by the senator. I respectfully request that senator lift his hold on this bill so that 90,000 Blue Water Veterans can get the benefits they are entitled to receive.

Thank you,
SENATOR MIKE ENZI, WYOMING (R) 202-224-3424, 888-250-1879
SENATOR MIKE LEE, UTAH (R) 202-224-5444

– For More Information

Sep 21 – Legislative Alert

Aug 27 – “Vietnam Veterans of America calls on the U.S. Senate to honor Vietnam War hero and Navy veteran John S. McCain by passing H.R. 299, The Blue Water Navy Act, and renaming this critical bill in his honor,” said John Rowan, VVA National President.

Aug 7 – Department of Veterans Affairs Opposes Enactment of H.R. 299, Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2018

Jul 30 – The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act Legislative Hearing Will Be Held by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on August 1, 2018

May 4 – Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017, H.R. 299 is scheduled for mark-up by the House Veterans Affairs Committee Next Week – Vietnam Veterans of America Legislative Update

Nov 3 – “We, at Vietnam Veterans of America, felt a crushing blow of disappointment when H.R. 299, legislation designed to restore eligibility for VA health care and disability compensation for some 90,000 Blue Water Navy veterans, was put on hold yesterday in the House Veterans' Affairs Committee,” said John Rowan, National President of Vietnam Veterans of America.

“We maintain that the service of sailors and other personnel in Yankee and Dixie Stations should be equated with the service of boots-on-the-ground troops in Vietnam,” said Rowan. “While we appreciate the ‘pay-for’ rules Congress imposed on itself, we have long opposed any effort to take funding from one veterans program to pay for another.”

While it is the role of the veterans service organizations to make the case for funding programs and initiatives to meet the legitimate needs of veterans, it is up to Congress to figure out how to pay for these efforts. It is an egregious failure of will to, yet again, pass over the demonstrated need of thousands of veterans who are suffering from the same health conditions as their in-country comrades.

“Caring for veterans is part of the continuing cost of the national defense,” Rowan added. “Regrettably, Congress has fallen down on its responsibility to tens of thousands of Navy veterans and their families. Despite this setback, VVA and our fellow VSOs will continue the fight to make the case and work with Congress to find a satisfactory funding mechanism to pay for the anticipated costs of this very necessary legislation.”

Blue Water Navy Bill Goest Before Full HVAC Committee for Markup

Vietnam Veterans of America Legislative Update

Nov 1 – House Veterans Affairs Committee votes on passage of H.R. 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017

Thanks to your grassroots advocacy on November 2, 2017, at 10:00 am H.R.299, the Blue Water Navy Veteran Act of 2017, will be marked up by the House Veterans Affairs full committee. If, the full committee approves the bill, it will then proceed to the House where the bill will be placed on the Calendar for a schedule floor vote.

Great work everyone!

VVA Government Relations Department

Nov 1 – VA Secretary Shulkin Makes Commitment on Blue Water Navy

We have been working behind the scenes with the Secretary and the Committee for months. We met with the Secretary last Tuesday and he confirmed his support. The bill is being marked up tomorrow. Please have our people call the Committee members and ask them to support. Once marked up and sent to the floor, THEN a general call-in might be helpful.

Commander J. B. Wells U. S. Navy (Retired)
Attorney at Law
Executive Director
Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc.
P. O. Box 5235
Slidell, LA 70469-5235
985-641-1855
985-290-6940 (direct)

For more information on Military-Veterans Advocacy go to www.militaryveteransadvocacy.org

Please support Military-Veterans Advocacy through the Combined Federal Campaign. Our CFC number is 59905

Amazon Shoppers: you can support Military-Veterans Advocacy by going to “Amazon Smile” for your shopping. The prices are the same but Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc. Bookmark the link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/38-3890520 and support us every time you shop.

Oct 27 – As a result of your advocacy on behalf of our Navy veterans, 314 members of the House have cosponsored H.R. 299 and 43 Senators have cosponsored the companion bill S. 422.

We ask that you continue to join our Call to Action every month on behalf of our Blue Water Navy veterans, especially to members of Congress who have not cosponsored the bills. With your support, we will get this bill passed into law.

Congress can never get enough of hearing from their constituents. Go to the VVA Capwiz and send the prepared message in support of H.R. 299 and S.422, The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017, and please follow up on your letter with a call to your representatives’ district/state offices, using the talking points for the bills.

Thank you very much.

VVA Government Relations Department

Sep 29 – Thank you for contacting your Member of Congress in support of passage of H.R. 299 and S.422, The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017, introduced in the House by Congressman David Valado (CA-R-21) and in the Senate by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

As a result of your advocacy on behalf of our Navy veterans, 304 members of the House have cosponsored H.R. 299 and 43 Senators have cosponsored the companion bill S. 422.

We ask that you continue to join our Call to Action every month on behalf of our Blue Water Navy veterans, especially to members of Congress who have not cosponsored the bills. With your support, we will get this bill passed into law.

Congress can never get enough of hearing from their constituents. Go to the VVA Capwiz and send the prepared message in support of H.R. 299 and S.422, The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017, and please follow up on your letter with a call to your representatives’ district/state offices, using the talking points for the bills.

Thank you very much.

VVA Government Relations Department

Sep 15 – Thank you for contacting your Member of Congress in support of passage of H.R. 299 and S.422, The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017, introduced in the House by Congressman David Valado (CA-R-21) and in the Senate by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

As a result of your advocacy on behalf of our Navy veterans, on September 11, 2017, Congress received hundreds of calls and over 400 letters in support of passage of the bills, and they took notice. The house bill has 300 cosponsors and the Senate bill has 43 cosponsors.

We ask that you continue to join our Call to Action every month on behalf of our Blue Water Navy veterans. With your support, we will get this bill passed into law.

Congress can never get enough of hearing from their constituents. Go to the VVA Capwiz site at http://www.capwiz.com/vva/home/, and send the prepared message in support of H.R. 299 and S.422, The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2017, and please follow up on your letter with a call to your representatives’ district/state offices, using the talking points for the bills.

Again, thank you very much for a job well done,

VVA Government Relations Department