[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 86 (Friday, June 30, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    LEGISLATION TO HELP VETERANS INFECTED WITH THE HEPATITIS C VIRUS

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                           HON. J.D. HAYWORTH

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2000

  Mr. HAYWORTH. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my good friends from 
New York and Nevada, Chairman Jack Quinn and Congressman Jim Gibbons, 
on introducing this important legislation that will help veterans 
infected with the hepatitis C virus to be treated and compensated by 
the Veterans Administration.
  Hepatitis C is a potentially life-threatening disease that can affect 
the liver and lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death. It is a slow, 
progressive disease that advances over 10 to 30 years. It is no wonder 
that hepatitis C wasn't identified until 1989. Hepatitis C is a blood-
borne disease that is transmitted through blood contact. Those at high 
risk include patients who had hemodialysis, patients who had blood 
transfusions or organ transplants, and healthcare professionals (such 
as health care workers or medics) who may have come in contact with 
infected blood, instruments or needles.
  Another high-risk population is our nation's military veterans. In 
fact, hepatitis C continues to be diagnosed at an alarming rate among 
our veteran population. The Veterans Administration estimates that 6.6 
percent of veterans are infected with hepatitis C, a rate more than 3 
times that of the general population. Of all of the military veteran 
populations who tested positive for hepatitis C throughout VA medical 
facilities nationwide in March 1999, Vietnam-era veterans accounted for 
64 percent of the cases.
  What prevents the VA from treating and compensating these infected 
veterans is the slow progression of the disease and the recent 
discovery of it. In most cases, more than a decade has passed from 
infection to discovery. For example, a medic treating a wounded comrade 
in Vietnam in 1967 could have been infected with the virus, but not 
tested positive nor shown symptoms until some 10 to 30 years later. The 
1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis and 
less-than-stellar military personnel record keeping only compounded the 
problem.
  Our legislation gives presumptive service connection to hepatitis C 
infected veterans who most likely contracted it through handling blood, 
blood transfusions or hemodialysis. These criteria will cover combat 
field medics, doctors or medical personnel who handled blood, and 
soldiers who gave blood to save a buddy's life or received blood to 
save their own. Studies show that 365,000 blood transfusions were 
performed among U.S. personnel in Vietnam between 1967 and 1969 alone. 
At the same time, blood supplies shipped to Vietnam in the late 1960s 
and early 1970s had a high rate of infection. An NIH study at this time 
showed that 7 to 10 percent of all patients who received a blood 
transfusion during surgery developed hepatitis C.
  Chairman Quinn, Mr. Gibbons and I applaud the VA for its outreach 
program to identify and treat veterans. We also commend the VA's 
attempt to address the hepatitis C problem through regulation, but we 
believe statutory relief may be the only remedy that will truly help 
thousands of veterans. While regulations are a good start, the VA is 
not mandated to ensure that these veterans are treated and compensated. 
It can, at any time, change the regulations or refuse treatment if it 
runs low on discretionary funds. Only through statutory relief will we 
ensure that the VA has the dedicated resources and funding to handle 
all of these claims. Also, having a statutory requirement will put this 
major disease on par with other major presumptive diseases. Finally, at 
the April 13th Veterans' Benefit Subcommittee hearing, several veteran 
service organizations, including the American Legion and the VFW, 
complained that the VA has already denied too many service connection 
claims by veterans with hepatitis C. In their testimony, AMVET stated 
that, among its members, the number of veterans being diagnosed with 
hepatitis C by the VA has increased, but the number being treated by 
the VA has not risen at all.
  While Chairman Quinn, Mr. Gibbons and I offer this bill as a remedy, 
we also offer it as a working document. We are willing to work with 
members of the Veterans Affairs Committee and our colleagues in this 
body as well as the Veterans Administration and veteran service 
organizations to produce a consensus bill. I am hopeful that we will be 
able to work out any differences and pass this legislation for our 
veterans.
  In the heat of combat, we ask our young servicemen and women to risk 
exposure to unknown danger to save others with the understanding that 
we, as a nation, will take care of them in the future should they 
become sick. Mr. Speaker, the time has come to fulfill that promise.

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