WASHINGTON, May 12 (UPI) -- Bipartisan legislation in Congress would provide healthcare benefits to veterans exposed to chemical and germ warfare tests in Utah.
The bill introduced by Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., would require the Veterans Affairs Department to assume that toxins in the tests known as Project 112 and Project SHAD caused injury to the veterans, The Desert Morning News reported Monday.
The designation would make them eligible for medical benefits and/or compensation for illnesses, the newspaper said.
The tests were performed at Utah's Fort Douglas and Dugway Proving Ground.
For years, the U.S. Defense Department officially denied that the tests occurred. Then in 2002, the Pentagon said research verified that the tests had happened.
"For 10 years, I've been fighting to get the government to acknowledge that these extremely dangerous tests made some of our brave veterans sick and even caused some of their deaths," Thompson said.
"These men risked their lives for their country, and in return, the government treated them like guinea pigs and has for years turned its back on them," he added.
