The State Board of Veterans Affairs is calling for investigation into health issues potentially caused by chemical exposure at Fort McClellan.
The board unanimously passed a resolution urging congressional members from Alabama to support legislation that would call for the investigation. The resolution also calls for presumptive service connections for veterans who were exposed to dangerous chemicals at the former Army post, meaning that the Department of Veterans Affairs would presume health conditions to be caused by work conducted while in the military.
Fort McClellan was established in 1917 and became home to the Army’s Chemical Corps and Chemical Weapons school after World War II. A study conducted in 1998 found traces of dangerous chemicals still present at the base.
