Proposed Legislation Would Finally Give 1966 Palomares Explosion Veterans Disability Benefits
June 06, 2021
Legislation recently introduced to Congress would give another group of long-denied veterans healthcare and disability payments from the VA. Should it pass through Congress, the bill would classify the cleanup of the 1966 plane accident over Palomares, Spain, as a “radiation risk activity” and finally grant those involved with VA benefits.
The accident occurred when a U.S. B-52 bomber and a refueling plane collided in midair on January 17, 1966, above southern Spain. Seven of the 11 crew members on the planes were killed, and four hydrogen bombs were released but failed to explode. During the Cold War, the United States kept warplanes armed with nuclear weapons in the air near the Soviet border.
Even though the bombs did not go off, two of the detonators did and spread seven pounds of highly radioactive plutonium over the area. Around 1,600 service members were sent to the village of Palomares to recover the weapons and clean up the contamination, and most did so without adequate protective gear. In doing so, they were exposed to hazardous levels of radiation for many weeks and months.
The Palomares accident is still considered to be the worst nuclear incident in United States history. Many of the people involved with the cleanup developed cancers, blood disorders, heart and lung dysfunctions, and more. Only around 300 to 400 veterans of the disaster are still alive today, as many have previously succumbed to various health issues.
One Air Force veteran who was at Palomares, 84-year-old Victor Skaar, is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the VA for denying benefits. He is a survivor of multiple cancers, and other conditions that he believes were caused by his exposure to radiation in Spain.
Veterans submitted urine samples to the Air Force for testing in 1966, but 98 percent of them were never used. Instead, the Air Force tested samples provided much later, and the VA based its determination that Palomares veterans were not eligible for benefits on this potentially inaccurate information.
Lawyers involved with the lawsuit allege that this action by the Air Force created inaccurate results. Last December, the VA was ordered by a court to prove that its data was scientifically sound and to investigate its handling of disability claims from Palomares veterans.
The bill is sponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren and Dianne Feinstein, and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, all Democrats. Endorsement of the bill is expected to be high. Its supporters are hopeful it will be successful, as similar measures in the past have never been simultaneously proposed in both the House and Senate and never made it out of committee.