Over a ten-year period, the U.S. military dropped around 20 million gallons of toxic herbicide across 4.5 million acres of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The mission was called Operation Ranch Hand, and used toxic herbicides to defoliate the heavy forest. The most well-known toxin used is Agent Orange, the most common 55-gallon drum of dioxin found regularly on military bases during the Vietnam War.

In 1991, Vietnam War veterans saw the passage of the Agent Orange Act, which acknowledged that the chemical was strongly linked to various cancers and the development of other diseases for veterans.

The bill authorized VA health benefits to those exposed to the toxins, but at the time, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ definition of exposure only covered those who spent time on the ground in Vietnam, which excluded Blue Water Navy veterans who served off the coast, though also handled Agent Orange.

As of January, 2019, a Federal Court ruled blue water Navy veterans are now eligible for the same VA benefits.

Agent Orange Benefits Eligibility

Recent government funding has worked to extend VA health care and compensation to tens of thousands of Air Force, Navy and Marine veterans with Agent Orange-associated conditions. The Diseases and Conditions covered by the VA include the following:

• AL Amyloidosis—A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs
• Chronic B-cell Leukemias—type of cancer which affects white blood cells
• Chloracne (or similar acneform disease)—skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals. It must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 2—a disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to respond properly to the hormone insulin
• Hodgkin’s Disease—malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia
• Ischemic Heart Disease—a disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart, that leads to chest pain
• Multiple Myeloma—a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma—a group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue
• Parkinson’s Disease—a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement
• Early-Onset Peripheral Neuropathy—a nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling, and motor weakness. It must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of herbicide exposure.
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda—a disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.
• Prostate Cancer—one of the most common cancers among men
• Respiratory Cancers (including lung cancer)—cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus
• Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)—cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph vessels, and connective tissues

Joe Lyon is an experienced toxic tort lawyer and VA Attorney reviewing Agent Orange Exposure Lawsuits and personal injury cases for injured veteran plaintiffs nationwide.

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Exposure

For major expense reasons, the VA opposes extending benefits to veterans who served on ships during the Vietnam War and have exposure-related ailments linked to Agent Orange.

Court papers show that the U.S. was aware that Agent Orange was toxic to those exposed to the chemical. Dioxins, byproducts of the herbicide manufacturing process, accumulates in fatty tissues, and can persist for hundreds or thousands of years, contaminating areas and can lead to cancer and various disabilities.

After the Vietnam War, blue water Navy veterans began noticing higher cancer rates and other diseases linked to Agent Orange. In 1979, a class-action lawsuit representing veterans was filed against the chemical companies and a $240 million settlement was reached.