Page 27 - Desert Oracle February 2020

Blue Water Navy Veterans and Agent Orange

Veterans who served in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard aboard a ship

operating in the coastal waterways of Vietnam, between January 9, 1962
and May 7, 1975, as well as Veterans who served in the Korean
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between January 1, 1967 and August 31, 1971

may be eligible for compensation based on presumption of exposure to
Agent Orange, a herbicide that was used to clear trees and plants during
the war.

Blue Water Navy Veterans are now entitled to service connection based on
presumption for illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure. This is a result
of Public Law 116-23, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.

The law was signed on June 25, 2019 and takes effect on January 1, 2020.

To be eligible, one of the following must be true and your military record

must show that during the Vietnam period you:

--were aboard a U.S. military vessel that operated in the inland waterways

of Vietnam

--served on a vessel not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from the
demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia.

Note: survivors of deceased veterans may also be eligible for benefits.

The following 14 conditions are presumed to be related to exposure to

Agent Orange:

• AL Amyloidosis
A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or
organs
• Chronic B-cell Leukemias
A type of cancer which affects white blood cells
• Chloracne (or similar acne form disease)
A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like
common forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under VA's rating regulations, it
must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.