The list of diseases that can be attributed to exposure to military herbicide spraying may soon be expanding.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is proposing the addition of three more illnesses to the list presumed to be related to exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides.
Parkinson's disease, B cell leukemias, and ischemic heart disease are the proposed additions.
"This is an important step forward for Vietnam veterans suffering from these three illnesses," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki said. "These warriors deserve medical care and compensation for health problems they have incurred."
"Anybody that has those diseases that served in-country Vietnam or on the DMZ (demilitarized zone) in Korea, 1968-1969, they'd want to come see me so they can put in a claim for compensation," Warren County Veterans Affairs Director Ed Burris said.
Although the rule is still in the proposal stage, VA officials are encouraging those veterans to submit applications for compensation now, "so the agency can begin development of their claims and so they can receive benefits from the date of their applications once the rule becomes final," according to a VA release.
One of the details yet to be worked out is the degree of disabilities related to the various diseases, Burris said.
The March 25 release said the VA will accept public comment for 30 days.
Some veterans will probably be eligible for retroactive payments if the diseases are added to the presumptive list, the release said. "Over 80,000 of the Veterans will have their past claims reviewed and may be eligible for retroactive payment, and all who are not currently eligible for enrollment into the VA healthcare system will become eligible."
"We must do better reviews of illnesses that may be connected to service, and we will," Shinseki said. "Veterans who endure health problems deserve timely decisions based on solid evidence."
"The new rule will bring the number of illnesses presumed to be associated with herbicide exposure to 14 and significantly expand the current leukemia definition to include a much broader range of leukemias beyond chronic lymphocytic leukemia previously recognized by VA," the release said. "In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a 'presumed' illness don't have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This 'presumption' simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits."
The current presumptive list of illnesses includes: AL Amyloidosis, Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy, Chloracne or other Acneform disease consistent with Chloracne, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2), non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Porphyria Cutanea Tarda, Prostate Cancer, Respiratory Cancers (Cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea), and Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or Mesothelioma).