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What Are the Presumptive Conditions Connected to Agent Orange?

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The PACT Act is a monumental piece of legislation that provides expanded benefits for veterans who have been impacted by presumptive conditions related to toxic exposure that can be traced to burn pits in overseas theaters, chemical weapons, or military products like Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in Vietnam that has been shown to have adverse effects that can lead to severe illnesses and medical conditions.

These related medical conditions are considered presumptive because they cannot be directly tied to one single instance of chemical exposure — but are instead tied to a time or location where the veteran served. Vietnam veterans and their families may have questions about what presumptive conditions are connected to Agent Orange, and we can help answer your questions at VA Benefits Attorneys.

Guide to Agent Orange Presumptive Conditions and Locations

Agent Orange was used to destroy parts of the jungle in Vietnam to deny the enemy cover and concealment — but the U.S. Military may not have realized the kind of damage it could do to soldiers who operated in those same jungles. The PACT Act has tied Agent Orange to no less than 14 severe and significant medical conditions that many veterans who served in the Vietnam era are impacted by and can receive compensation for from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). 

The medical conditions related to Agent Orange are presumptive conditions. This means that veterans who suffer from a presumptive condition listed by the PACT Act do not have to rely on medical evidence or a Nexus Letter to establish a direct service connection between their years of service and their medical condition — it is accepted that their disability or medical condition is service connected.

List of Presumptive Conditions Related to Agent Orange

  • AL Amyloidosis
  • Bladder Cancer
  • Chronic B-cell Leukemias
  • Chloracne
  • Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Ischemic Heart Disease
  • Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS)
  • Multiple Myeloma
  • Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
  • Parkinsonism
  • Parkinson’s Disease
  • Early-Onset Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Respiratory Cancers – Including Lung, Bronchus, Larynx, or Trachea.
  • Select Soft Tissue Sarcomas
  • Hypertension
Vietnam Veteran Hat and Dog Tags

List of Locations and Service Dates Related to Agent Orange

When presumptive conditions are involved in a veteran disability claim — like for Agent Orange — the time and location where the veteran served is critical to the success or failure of the claim. The dates and locations that are connected to Agent Orange exposure for veterans are focused on the Vietnam and Korean theater with multiple locations and territories in the region named in the PACT Act — in addition to veterans who served in the Air Force and worked with the aircraft responsible for the dispersal of the chemical agents.

Here is a list of locations and service dates when veterans may have been exposed to Agent Orange that can qualify for coverage under the PACT Act:

  • Vietnam: January 1962 – May 1975
  • Korean DMZ: September 1967 – August 1971
  • Thailand: January 1962 – June 1967
  • Laos: December 1965 – September 1969
  • Cambodia: April 1969
  • Guam/American Samoa: January 1962 – July 1980
  • Johnston Atoll: January 1972 – September 1977
  • Air Force C-123 Aircraft: Veterans who served on the aircraft responsible for the dispersal of Agent Orange.

READ MORE: Is PACT Act Compensation in Addition to VA Benefits?

Are you a veteran of the Vietnam War? Do you have a relative who is battling cancer or heart disease? Those medical conditions may be tied to Agent Orange used in the Vietnam theater of operations, and you or your loved ones may be eligible for financial compensation. VA Benefits Attorneys is here to help you get the benefits and compensation you have earned, and we are here to help answer questions like — what are the presumptive conditions connected to Agent Orange?

Contact VA Benefits Attorneys today for help with your veteran disability claim!

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