VA has long recognized certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases; such as:
- AL Amyloidosis
Chronic B-cell Leukemias
Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
Hodgkin’s Disease
Ischemic Heart Disease
Multiple Myeloma
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma - Parkinson’s Disease
Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
Prostate Cancer
Respiratory Cancers (includes lung cancer)
Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)
See more at: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/#sthash.arxb47D6.dpuf
The VA has expanded the category of veterans who may qualify for a service-connected disability pension due to their exposure to Agent Orange, even though the exposure occurred years after the herbicide’s use in the Vietnam War. The Institute of Medicine, in a study requested by the VA, recently determined that some planes were contaminated by the chemical well after the end of the war, and that the exposure to Agent Orange continued to sicken service members for years.
Under new regulations issued in June 2015, service members who were exposed to dioxin residue in contaminated C-123 Provider aircraft and thereafter developed a disabling condition may file a claim for benefits. Conditions such as B-cell leukemia; Parkinson’s disease; Hodgkin’s disease; some soft-tissue sarcoma; multiple myeloma; prostate cancer; respiratory cancer; diabetes mellitus (Type 2); and acute and sub-acute peripheral neuropathy are some of the diseases which are presumptively linked to exposure to Agent Orange. For the purposes of filing a claim for benefits, a “presumptive” link means that the veteran does not need to affirmatively prove that the exposure caused the disabling condition. That presumption helps veterans obtain approval of their applications for benefits faster.
The new rule may help over 2,000 veterans who served on or serviced and maintained contaminated planes that had carried Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, primarily Air Force and Air Force reservists who served in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts from 1969 to 1986. Unfortunately, the VA’s decision to permit claims only as of the effective date of the new regulation means that many disabled service members whose claims had previously been denied will not be able to seek retroactive benefits.
Benefits available to disabled veterans due to Agent Orange exposure vary depending on the level of disability and the veteran’s family status, from a minimum of $133.17 per month at a 10% disability rating for a single veteran with no dependents, to $3,187.60 per month for a veteran with a spouse and one dependent child.
The VA is providing more information regarding C-123 disability claims on its hotline, 1-800-749-8387, online at http://www.benefits.va.gov/COMPENSATION/AgentOrange-C123.asp, or via email to VSCC123.VAVBASPL@va.gov.
If you have any questions about VA benefits that you may be entitled to receive, or any other questions about long-term care concerns, please call our office at (860) 769-6938.
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