Three new conditions were recently added to the list of presumptive conditions that makes it easier to service-connect disabilities related to Agent Orange exposure. Congress recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which added the following conditions to a list of conditions presumed to be caused by Agent Orange exposure: bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinson’s Disease-like symptoms.
The Agent Orange Act of 1991 previously established a presumption of service connection, meaning that VA must assume that veterans who served during certain time periods in predetermined locations were exposed to Agent Orange.
A presumption of exposure replaces the element of service connection that requires veterans to provide proof of an in-service event, injury, or illness that led to their current disability. Instead, VA considers Agent Orange exposure to be the in-service event.
With the passage of the NDAA adding bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinson ’s Disease, VA also presumes service connection for the following Agent Orange-related conditions:
- AL Amyloidosis
- Chronic B-Cell Leukemia
- Chloracne (if it presents within one year of exposure to a degree of 10 percent disabling)
- Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
- Hodgkin’s Disease
- Ischemic Heart Disease (including Coronary Artery Disease, stable and unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death)
- Multiple Myeloma
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Peripheral Neuropathy, Early Onset (if it presents within one year of exposure to a degree of 10 percent disabling)
- Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (if it presents within one year of exposure to a degree of 10 percent disabling)
- Prostate Cancer
- Respiratory Cancers, including Lung Cancer
- Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and mesothelioma)
Do you need VA disability benefits related to Agent Orange exposure? Contact the Veterans Disability team at Rob Levine today for a free case evaluation. We will work hard to get the VA benefits you deserve.
