The OATH Act of 2024 addresses injustices faced by veterans who participated in secret government programs where they were sworn to secrecy under threat of court-martial or criminal prosecution. The bill primarily affects veterans of the Edgewood Arsenal chemical testing program at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where over 7,000 Army personnel were subjected to testing with dangerous chemicals between 1948 and 1975, as well as veterans of other similar secrecy oath programs. The legislation requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify and notify affected veterans within 90 days of either the program's release or enactment, informing them of all benefits they may be eligible for, and it retroactively changes the effective date of disability compensation awards to the date of discharge rather than the date of application, provided applications are submitted within one year of notification. This change eliminates a previous barrier where veterans who complied with their secrecy oaths were unable to receive retroactive benefits, and the VA must review and adjust all prior awards to reflect this new standard within 90 days of the law's enactment.
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