The OATH Act ensures that veterans who participated in classified military programs involving sworn secrecy—particularly the Edgewood Arsenal program at Aberdeen Proving Ground from 1948 to 1975—receive the full veterans benefits they are entitled to. The bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to identify these veterans within 90 days of their release from their secrecy oaths, notify them of all eligible benefits and services, and provide them with relevant information. A key provision makes disability compensation awards for these veterans effective from the date of their discharge, rather than from a later date, potentially increasing the total benefits they receive. The bill specifically addresses the Edgewood Arsenal program, where veterans were exposed to chemical and biological agents as part of military research, but also applies more broadly to any U.S. Government program requiring participants to sign non-disclosure agreements under penalty of military or criminal punishment.
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