VA Posts Online List of Ships Associated with Presumptive Agent Orange Exposure

[pinboy3niner]

(DVA Press Release)

September 2, 2011


WASHINGTON – Veterans who served aboard U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships operating on the waters of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, may be eligible to receive Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation for 14 medical conditions associated with presumptive exposure to Agent Orange.


An updated list of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships confirmed to have operated on Vietnam’s inland waterways, docked on shore, or had crewmembers sent ashore, has been posted at (substituting a more direct link: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/shiplist/index.asp ) to assist Vietnam Veterans in determining potential eligibility for compensation benefits.


“Posting of the ships list is an important recognition of the sacrifices U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Veterans made for this Nation,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “It provides an easier path for Veterans who served in Vietnam to get the benefits and services they are entitled to under the law.”


VA presumes herbicide exposure for any Veteran with duty or visitation within the country of Vietnam or on its inland waterways during the Vietnam era. Comprehensive information about the 14 recognized illnesses under VA’s “presumption” rule for Agent Orange is also located on the webpage (http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/).


In practical terms, Veterans with qualifying Vietnam service who develop a disease associated with Agent Orange exposure need not prove a medical link between their illnesses and their military service. This presumption simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.


For questions about Agent Orange and the online list of ships, Veterans may call VA’s Special Issues Helpline at 1-800-749-8387 and press 3.

...


http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2156

I apologize for sitting on this for so long--but I do want to get this information out for the benefit of those who may be affected.

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Kicking and rec'cing