AGENT ORANGE

President Clinton's announcement that the government intends to provide expanded medical benefits to Vietnam veterans who suffer from the effects of exposure to Agent Orange and to their children with spina bifida comes as welcome news to veterans, who long have tried to convince the government that Agent Orange is responsible for the ills that many suffered after the conflict.

It took a long time for the government to admit Agent Orange is responsible for crippling and fatal diseases so many veterans who served in Vietnam from 1965 through 1970 suffered upon returning home. Now the government not only is admitting that the herbicide, which was applied in huge quantities to defoliate the enemy's jungle cover, brought on cancers and other afflictions, but also is a cause of the development of spina bifida, a congenital disorder of the nervous system, in some veterans' children.

Clinton's announcement came after a report by the National Academy of Sciences suggested a link between Agent Orange exposure and a higher risk of spina bifida in Vietnam veterans' offspring. That same report suggested that the veterans could develop prostate cancer and another disorder that brings on weakness and numbing or tingling in the extremities. As a result, the president also said the government wants to expand medical benefits to include veterans diagnosed with those problems.

Approximately 2.6 million members of the armed forces were exposed to Agent Orange. After a strong push by veterans, the government did the right thing in providing benefits to those who have suffered from the effects of Agent Orange. It is equally responsible to the children who will carry the scars of its use for many years to come.

It is encouraging that Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jesse Brown also is concerned about the birth defects in veterans' children. Brown said he is directing that a regulation be developed as quickly as possible so the VA can begin compensation. Congress should be equally concerned and immediately see to it that the veterans' children are cared for.