Vietnam vets are now eligible for Agent Orange benefit funds

Dear editor:

New VA Agent Orange rules are due to become effective next month.

Veterans who served in Vietnam or their widows can apply for benefits and are presumed eligible for treatment or pensions or both for an expanded list of illnesses. Presumed eligible means Vietnam veterans do not need to prove a connection between the disease and military service or exposure to Agent Orange.

There is an extensive list of diseases, but a few are relatively common. These are: Type 2 Diabetes, lschemic Heart Disease, Parkinson's Disease, prostate cancer, and several respiratory cancers.

Vietnam veterans who died of one of the diseases often left widows who are likely eligible for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), which starts at $1,154 per month. There are also education, home loan, health care, and federal job preference benefits. The new rules are being reviewed in Congress. The review is due to be completed by the end of October.

VA has also opened the Agent Orange register to certain veterans who served in Thailand between Feb. 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975. Eligible Air Force veterans served near the air base perimeter on Royal Thai Air Force bases at U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and Don Muang. Eligible Army veterans provided perimeter security on one of those bases, or were in a military police occupational specialty that placed them at or near the base perimeter on some small Army installations in Thailand. These veterans must show evidence of daily work duties, performance evaluation reports, or other credible evidence that their service met the above criteria.

There is no need to wait until November. VA would like veterans or widows to apply right away to get claims started. They can apply electronically via the Internet by going to the VA.gov site and following the links. Or they can apply by mail or fax. Help filing is available in Mountain Home from the Elmore County Veterans Service Officer at 515 E. 2nd South St., War Memorial Hall.

Jim Breslin