Specialist Fourth Class Keith Smith Glioblastoma Parity Act of 2025
H.R. 3752, the Specialist Fourth Class Keith Smith Glioblastoma Parity Act of 2025, would expand the Department of Veterans Affairs’ existing framework for presumptive service connection by adding glioblastoma multiforme to the list of conditions presumed to be connected to herbicide exposure for veterans who served in certain locations during the Vietnam era. In practical terms, veterans who served in specified Vietnam-era locations and who are diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme would automatically be eligible for VA disability compensation without needing to prove a direct causal link between their cancer and herbicide exposure. The bill is named to honor Specialist Fourth Class Keith Smith and aligns with prior efforts to recognize Agent Orange exposure as a contributor to certain diseases. The bill amends 38 U.S.C. 1116(a)(2) by adding a new item, “Glioblastoma multiforme,” to the list of diseases with presumptive service connection when veterans served in qualifying locations during the Vietnam era. The accompanying findings recount Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam conflict and its ongoing health impacts, providing the rationale for including this particular cancer in the presumption program.
Key Points
- 1Adds glioblastoma multiforme to the list of diseases with a presumption of service connection for veterans who served in certain locations during the Vietnam era (amends 38 U.S.C. 1116(a)(2)).
- 2Establishes a presumption system, meaning veterans who meet the service-location criteria and are diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme are presumed to have this condition connected to their military service, easing eligibility for VA disability compensation.
- 3The presumption framework mirrors other Agent Orange-related presumptions, drawing on the idea that exposure to herbicides in Vietnam-era service locations contributed to certain illnesses.
- 4The act is named in honor of Specialist Fourth Class Keith Smith, signaling a commemorative purpose in addition to policy change.
- 5The bill’s Section 2 Findings document historical Agent Orange use and ongoing health effects, providing context for why the expansion is being proposed.