Agent Orange Benefits for More Veterans - VA

Author: Department of Veterans Affairs
Published: 2009/10/13
Category Topic: Disabled Veterans News - Academic Publications

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Benefits for Vietnam Veterans with three specific illnesses based on latest evidence of association with Agent Orange.

Introduction

Main Content

Relying on an independent study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki decided to establish a service-connection for Vietnam Veterans with three specific illnesses based on the latest evidence of an association with the herbicides referred to as Agent Orange.

The illnesses affected by the recent decision are B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson's disease; and ischemic heart disease.

Used in Vietnam to defoliate trees and remove concealment for the enemy, Agent Orange left a legacy of suffering and disability that continues to the present. Between January 1965 and April 1970, an estimated 2.6 million military personnel who served in Vietnam were potentially exposed to sprayed Agent Orange.

In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a "presumed" illness don't have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This "presumption" simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.

The Secretary's decision brings to 15 the number of presumed illnesses recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

"We must do better reviews of illnesses that may be connected to service, and we will," Shinseki added. "Veterans who endure health problems deserve timely decisions based on solid evidence."

Other illnesses previously recognized under VA's "presumption" rule as being caused by exposure to herbicides during the Vietnam War are:

Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy

AL Amyloidosis

Chloracne

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)

Hodgkin's Disease

Multiple Myeloma

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda

Prostate Cancer

Respiratory Cancers, and

Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or Mesothelioma)

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA's services and programs for Veterans exposed to the chemical are available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.