Veterans who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975 (this means anyone who had boots on the ground even if briefly or transit, etc.) and who have a disease that the VA recognizes as being associated with Agent Orange, are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange.

These veterans are eligible for service-connected compensation based on their service and if they have one of the diseases on the VA’s list of “Diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents.”

Read further to learn more — or contact our veterans disability attorneys to talk about your situation and how we can help.

Diseases Associated with Exposure to Agent Orange

The list of diseases below are the diseases that the VA currently presumes resulted from exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange. The law requires that some of these diseases be at least 10% disabling under the VA’s rating regulations within a deadline that began to run the day you left Vietnam. If there is a deadline, it is listed in parentheses after the name of the disease.

• Ischemic Heart Disease
• AL Amylodosis
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Chloracne or other acneform disease consistent with chloracne (must occur within one year of exposure to Agent Orange)
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type II
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy (for purposes of this section, the term acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy means temporary peripheral neuropathy that appears within weeks or months of exposure to an herbicide agent and resolves within two years of the date of onset)
• Porphyria cutanea tarda (must occur within one year of exposure to Agent Orange)
• Prostate cancer
• Respiratory cancers (cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea)
• Soft-tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)

Secondary Conditions Caused by Diabetes Mellitus Type II

Diabetes Mellitus Type II frequently causes various other secondary conditions that entitle veterans to separate disability ratings for each secondary condition. These conditions include:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Neuropathy (nerve disease) of the arms and legs (each limb affected is entitled to a separate rating)
• Retinopathy (eye disease)
• Arteriosclerosis (blood vessel disease)
• Nephropathy (kidney disease)

Note: These secondary conditions must occur after the initial diagnosis of DMII to be eligible.

Spina bifida birth defect

Children who are diagnosed with spina bifida, a very serious birth defect, and who have at least one parent who was a veteran exposed to Agent Orange, are entitled to VA health care, monthly disability compensation, and vocational rehabilitation.

Also, these benefits are authorized to children with spina bifida of certain veterans who served at or near the demilitarized zone in Korea between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971, because Agent Orange is known to have been sprayed in that area.