Agent Orange
Under the PACT Act (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022), Congress expanded the list of presumptive conditions linked to Agent Orange exposure. Presumptive service connection means the VA assumes the condition is related to service, eliminating the need for extensive medical nexus evidence if the veteran served in an eligible location and timeframe.
Presumptive Conditions for Agent Orange Exposure
Veterans exposed to Agent Orange may be eligible for disability compensation if diagnosed with any of the following:
- AL Amyloidosis
- Chronic B-cell Leukemias (including hairy cell leukemia)
- Chloracne (if it appears within one year of exposure)
- Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
- Hodgkin’s Disease
- Hypertension (added by Pact Act)
- Ischemic Heart Disease
- Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) (added by Pact Act)
- Multiple Myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Parkinsonism
- Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset (must appear within one year of exposure)
- Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (must appear within one year of exposure)
- Prostate Cancer
- Respiratory Cancers (lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea)
- Soft Tissue Sarcomas (excluding osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and mesothelioma)
- Bladder Cancer (added by the PACT Act)
- Hypothyroidism (added by the PACT Act)
To qualify for VA disability compensation for Agent Orange presumptive disability, a veteran must show the following:
Service in a Presumptive Location and Timeframe:
- Served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975 (boots on the ground, inland waterways, or certain coastal vessels).
- Served in Thailand at certain military bases between January 9, 1962, and June 30, 1976 (with duty near the perimeter).
- Served in Laos, Cambodia, Guam, American Samoa, Johnston Atoll, or aboard ships operating in qualifying offshore waters during the Vietnam era as identified below:
- Laos: Dec. 1, 1965 – Sept. 30, 1969
- Cambodia (Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province): Apr. 16 – Apr. 30, 1969
- Guam or American Samoa (and territorial waters): Jan. 9, 1962 – July 31, 1980
- Johnston Atoll: Jan. 1, 1972 – Sept. 30, 1977
- Blue Water Navy Veterans: Offshore service within 12 nautical miles of the Republic of Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962 – May 7, 1975 now qualifies as presumptive Agent Orange exposure.
Current Diagnosis of a Listed Presumptive Condition:
- The veteran must have a medical diagnosis of one of the presumptive disabilities above.