LaLota Bill Aimed at Expanding VA Care for Vietnam Veterans Passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Suffolk County),  an 11-year Navy Veteran and Member of the Military Construction and VA Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement after his bipartisan Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act passed the House. The legislation, which is co-led by Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), an Army Veteran and Member of the House Armed Services Committee, instructs the VA to conduct a comprehensive study to determine the prevalence of bile duct cancer among those who served in the Vietnam War and whether it may be connected to exposure to a parasite known as liver fluke during their service. 

"This week, the House took bipartisan action to do what the VA has refused to for more than six years—acknowledge the suffering of Vietnam Veterans exposed to liver fluke in Southeast Asia. My bill, the Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act, passed with broad support because both sides agree: these heroes deserve answers, not more delay,” said LaLota. “Too many have already died waiting. It’s past time we matched our words with action and gave these Veterans the care and recognition they’ve earned."

To read the full text of the bipartisan Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act, click HERE.  

Background:

LaLota initially introduced the bill during the 118th Congress and it passed the House in September 2024. The Senate failed to act. 

To watch LaLota’s remarks ahead of the bill's passage in the House, click HERE.

In 2018, the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center in New York conducted a groundbreaking study on liver fluke infection among Vietnam Veterans, using a 50-Veteran sample size. Although the study was smaller than most, its findings highlighted an urgent need for a larger-scale investigation, the development of standardized treatment protocols, and expanded access to care for affected Veterans at VA facilities nationwide.

Following this, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) initiated the Vietnam Era Veterans Mortality Study, comparing mortality rates from cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) between Veterans deployed to the Vietnam War theater and those who served elsewhere. The study suggests a potential link between exposure to parasitic infections, contracted through contaminated freshwater fish, and a heightened risk of cholangiocarcinoma among Vietnam Veterans.

Despite this evidence, during a Legislative Hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) indicated that the VA does not support further research on the topic. Additionally, the VA has yet to designate cholangiocarcinoma as a service-connected condition, despite the findings of the Vietnam-era study.

The Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act seeks to address this gap by requiring the VA, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to conduct a comprehensive study on the prevalence of liver fluke infections among Vietnam Veterans. This legislation aims to ensure that Vietnam Veterans receive the care and recognition they deserve for this debilitating condition.