VETERANS BENEFITS
NEW CONDITIONS ADDED TO AGENT ORANGE PRESUMPTIVE LIST by Raymond Allen Jr.
Three new conditions were recently added to the list of presumptive conditions for which the Department of Veterans Affairs grants service connection to Vietnam War veterans affected by exposure to the chemical herbicide Agent Orange. This means that tens of thousands of veterans will now be eligible for VA disability benefits if their Agent Orange exposure resulted in bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, or Parkinson’s Disease-like symptoms.
VA’s Presumption of Exposure to Agent Orange
In response to the many Vietnam-era veterans experiencing health-related concerns due to herbicide exposure, the Agent Orange Act of 1991 was passed. If your loved one is diagnosed with any of the following disease or passed away from any of the following then there are monetary benefits for you. • AL Amyloidosis • Chronic B-Cell Leukemia • Chloracne (if it presents within one year of exposure to a degree of 10 percent disabling) • Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 • Hodgkin’s Disease • Ischemic Heart Disease (including Coronary Artery Disease, stable and unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death) • Multiple Myeloma • Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Parkinson’s Disease • Peripheral Neuropathy, Early Onset (if it presents within one year of exposure to a degree of 10 percent disabling) • Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (if it presents within one year of exposure to a degree of 10 percent disabling) • Prostate Cancer • Respiratory Cancers, including Lung Cancer • Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and mesothelioma)
Congress Adds New Presumptive Conditions to VA’s List
• Bladder Cancer • Hypothyroidism: A condition in which thyroid gland does not produce enough of certain crucial hormones. • Parkinson’s-like symptoms: A condition with symptoms such as tremor, slow movement, impaired speech, and muscle stiffness that resembles Parkinson’s disease but is not formally diagnosed as such. The addition of these three conditions to VA’s presumptive list will make it easier for veterans and surviving spouses to file a claim if the veteran is diagnosed or passed away from bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, or Parkinson’s-like symptoms due to Agent Orange exposure. To secure disability benefits contact your local VA. Raymond Allen Jr. U.S. Army SFC (RET.) Volusia County Veterans Services 123 West Indiana Avenue DeLand, Florida 32720 Phone: 386-740-5102 Fax: 386-740-5101
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Aging Times Magazine | March 2021
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