Hill: New VA Regulation Vastly Expands Care for Agent Orange Exposure

Press Release

Congressman Baron Hill reported today that Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange will soon be offered an easier path to health care and disability pay.

Under the Department of Veterans Affairs' final Agent Orange regulation, to be released tomorrow, the list of health problems resulting from Agent Orange exposure will be vastly expanded. Vietnam-era veterans suffering from Parkinson's disease, ischemic heart disease, and chronic B cell leukemias will no longer have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service in order to obtain coverage through their veteran benefits.

"This historic regulation will help ailing veterans overcome the burdensome paperwork that complicates their benefit claims," said Hill. "By classifying these conditions as assumedly service related, the Veteran's Administration confirms what Vietnam veterans have known for years. I am glad these veterans' voices have been heard."

Agent Orange is the name of a set of highly toxic herbicides used as a defoliant in the Vietnam War. It is estimated that more than 7,000 Hoosier veterans have suffered the effects of Agent Orange exposure. In last month's supplemental appropriations bill, Hill voted in favor of $13.4 billion in mandatory funding for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange.

"Agent Orange veterans deserve compensation for their sacrifice. This issue is very important to me, and I hope this decision helps our veterans get the care they've earned," said Hill.

Hill is also working to pass the Health Care for Members of the Armed Forces Exposed to Chemical Hazards Act to establish a registry of members and former members of the armed forces who have been exposed in the line of duty to chemical hazards. This registry would make the veterans eligible for a series of medical examinations and laboratory tests. The VA recently announced further action to help Hoosier Guardsmen who were exposed to harmful chemicals in Iraq.

"All generations of veterans and their families made great sacrifices for our country, and it is critically important that all health issues stemming from their service to our country are addressed," said Hill. "I will never stop working toward that end."

According to the VA's press release on the new regulation, Vietnam veterans suffering from one of the aforementioned diseases should submit their applications for access to VA health care and compensation now so the agency can begin development of their claims.

Individuals can go to a website at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm to get an understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by VA to make a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.

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

Source