Ask a Service Officer: Agent Orange exposure

Q. How do I know if I have a claim for Agent Orange? 

A. Many Vietnam War veterans are concerned that they have been exposed to Agent Orange, the chemical herbicide used to destroy jungle foliage in order to expose enemy troops. Public Law 107-103 provides a presumption of exposure to herbicides for all veterans who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam era. You do not have to prove you were sprayed or in an area that was sprayed if you served in Vietnam from Jan. 9, 1962, to May 7, 1975. However, before you begin to file a claim, you must have proof of service in Vietnam during the war time and medical documentation of the condition(s) officially recognized by VA.

The following is a list of diseases that VA recognizes as related to Agent Orange exposure:

• Peripheral neuropathy (acute and subacute)
• AL amyloidosis
• Chloracne
• Chronic B-cell leukemia
• Hodgkin's disease
• Ischemic heart disease
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Parkinson's disease
• Porphyria cutanea tarda
• Prostate cancer
• Respiratory cancers (e.g., lung, larynx, trachea and bronchus)
• Soft tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma or mesothelioma)
• Type 2 diabetes

Learn more about the diseases: www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp

Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange may be eligible for an Agent Orange registry health exam, health care benefits and disability compensation. Contact your local American Legion accredited service officer to discuss possible benefits and file a claim: www.legion.org/serviceofficers