[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 153 (Wednesday, October 10, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        ATOMIC TESTING AND DEPLETED URANIUM: VETERANS NEED HELP

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 10, 2007

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge support for two bills 
I have just reintroduced, the ``Recognition of Forgotten Atomic 
Veterans and their Surviving Spouses Act'' (H.R. 3794) and the ``You 
Were There, You Get Care Act'' (H.R. 3795).
  The Recognition of Forgotten Atomic Veterans and their Surviving 
Spouses Act (H.R. 3794) directs the Department of Justice to obtain the 
records of all Atomic Veterans from the Department of Energy Operations 
Office in Nevada. Using these records, they are to locate and advise 
all veterans or their surviving widows of their rights under RECA and 
guide them in filing a claim for the compensation that is due them.
  RECA is the program passed by Congress in 1990 (P.L. 101-426) that 
provides compassionate payments to individuals who contract cancers and 
other serious diseases as a result of their exposure to radiation from 
above ground tests of nuclear weapons or from employment in underground 
uranium mines.
  Because the VA did not provide medical care to Atomic Veterans in 
many cases, many died at an early age. So there are thousands of 
widows, many on fixed incomes, who have never heard of RECA and do not 
know that they may be eligible for compensation. My bill will help them 
apply and receive substantial compassionate payments to ease their 
burden.
  The You Were There, You Get Care Act (H.R. 3795) ensures that 
veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War and subsequent conflicts will 
be considered ``service-connected disabled'' for any illnesses 
currently covered by RECA and other diseases found by the Veterans 
Affairs Secretary to result from depleted uranium exposure.
  Depleted uranium is an incredibly effective weapon, but its residue 
has a half-life of 4 billion years and many believe that it is a 
carcinogen. We simply cannot allow another generation of veterans to be 
treated as were the Atomic Veterans.
  In addition, this bill calls for an in-depth medical study to be 
conducted by independent civilian medical entities, independent of the 
Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, to determine other 
diseases that may result from exposure to depleted uranium.
  We need to ensure that veterans from the Gulf War and all wars waged 
since will not die an early and painful death without the health care 
and compensation they need and deserve.
  Taken together, my bills make a bold statement--that when young men 
and women volunteer for service, they can count on their government to 
compensate them and care for them if their service lends to illnesses. 
These assurances are so important and so necessary and should aid in 
the recruitment and retention of military personnel.

                          ____________________