New rules to help Vets exposed to Agent Orange
Monday, August 30, 2010
New rules to help Vets
exposed to Agent Orange
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will publish final rules
for veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange, paving the way for
easier access to health care and disability pay. The VA says
veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7,
1975, will now be presumed to have been exposed to herbicides like
Agent Orange.
The VA says more than 150,000 Veterans are expected to submit
Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months, many of whom are
potentially eligible for retroactive disability payments based on
past claims. Additionally, VA will review approximately
90,000 previously denied claims by Vietnam Veterans for service
connection for these conditions. All those awarded
service-connection and are not currently eligible for enrollment
into the VA healthcare system will become eligible.
The VA has a website with information on how to file a claim
under the new rules, and what evidence is needed by the VA to
determine if disability compensation or survivor benefits are
warranted. You can visit the site at
http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm, and general
information about Agent Orange and VA services for veterans who've
been exposed to the chemical is at:
www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.
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