Recently I talked with the VA's Agent Orange coordinator at the VA Medical Center here in Tucson. We have updated our Privacy Policy. This includes the following conditions: In order to qualify for benefits, the following conditions must become noticeable to a degree of 10 percent or more within one year of the last date of exposure to Agent Orange: There is no time limit for all other listed diseases. Veterans can receive ratings between 10% and 40%, depending on the amount of time between urination. Cleveland, OH: 600 Superior Ave. East, Fifth Third Building, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH, 44114 By continuing to use our website, you agree to these updates. Service on the ground or by sea during the Vietnam war between 1962 and 1975, Service in the North Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between 1967 and 1971. Unfortunately, research later showed the herbicide was highly toxic to anyone who came in proximity to it. 1. How Does VGLI Compare to Other Insurance Programs? VA begins Agent Orange payments | The American Legion If you are intending toappeal a denied claim, you can contact us for an evaluation and we can help you with this process. If you have dependents, such as a spouse, children, or dependent parents, you can earn even more money on their behalf. Thepurposeis to alert Veterans to possible long-term health problems that may be related to Agent Orange exposure during their military service.. . This storage is often necessary for basic functionality of the web site or the storage may be used for the purposes of marketing, analytics, and personalization of the web site such as storing your preferences. If doctors diagnosed you with any of the medical conditions on the list above, we will gather the documentation from your doctor or medical professional that we need to submit to VA. you will receive $3146.42. Office of Accountability & Whistleblower Protection, Training - Exposure - Experience (TEE) Tournament, Outreach, Transition and Economic Development Home, Warrior Training Advancement Course (WARTAC), Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) Information, How to Apply for Nonsupervised Automatic Authority, VALERI (VA Loan Electronic Reporting Interface). exposure to herbicides in a location other than the Vietnam or the Korean demilitarized zone. You must provide your name, e-mail address, telephone and/or fax number, and VA file number/Social Security Number. Agent Orange - HISTORY Birth defects and conditions such as spina bifida, cleft lip, congenital heart disease, hip dysplasia, Hallerman-Streiff syndrome, neural tube defects, Poland syndrome, and others may also be caused by Agent Orange exposure in children. Disability Compensation for Vietnam Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange How Does VGLI Compare to Other Insurance Programs? Therefore, the amount of your next monthly payment will likely be the figure above that corresponds with your VA assigned disability rating. Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969. You must provide your name, e-mail address, telephone and/or fax number, and VA file number/Social Security Number. These cookies may be set through our website by our advertising partners. Research has demonstrated that it can remain toxic in the soil for decades. Also covered by this presumption are veterans who were in or near the Korean demilitarized zone from April 1, 1968 to August 31, 1971. The Road to VA Compensation Benefitswill help break down the claims process from start to finish. At that time, VA requires you undergo another evaluation to determine the current status of your diagnosis. The VA will calculate and pay out any retroactive VA disability back pay owed. Copy this embed code to share the infographic on your own site. What is the average compensation for Agent Orange? It was also tested, used, and stored at various other locations. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) Agent Blue (Purple) 32.8 to 45 . Below is a brief history. Thus, each area is 9.6 miles in diameter. Appoint and work with an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO), Gather all relevant and required evidence to support your claim, and. Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is class action lawsuit brought by NVLSP attorneys in 1986 to challenge a VA regulation, former 38 C.F.R. Since 1991, the VA has been required to do mass reviews of claims for the following: If you have been denied benefits due to Agent Orange toxic exposure, want to receive back pay compensation or are attempting toincrease your rating, the team at Hill & Ponton may be able to assist you. If service connection is granted, the VA must apply the special effective date rules that were also part of the 1991 Nehmer court orders and stipulation and grant dependency and indemnity compensation. Bar Admissions: These cookies collect information about how you use our website. If your health condition is not on the list or you did not serve in a qualifying location, we will have to do some research to establish a link, but our attorneys are qualified to do so. Office of Accountability & Whistleblower Protection, Training - Exposure - Experience (TEE) Tournament, Outreach, Transition and Economic Development Home, Warrior Training Advancement Course (WARTAC), Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) Information, How to Apply for Nonsupervised Automatic Authority, VALERI (VA Loan Electronic Reporting Interface). 100 percent disability rating: $3,146.42 per month. It was not until later that the U.S. Army realized the potency of the product and discovered the direct link between Agent Orange and the debilitating sickness that many Vietnam War vets were mysteriously experiencing. Herbicides were also used by the U.S. military to defoliate military facilities in the U.S. and in other countries as far back as the 1950s. "Agent Orange" refers to a blend of tactical herbicides the U.S. military sprayed in the jungles of Vietnam and around the Korean demilitarized zone to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover. Area of Practice: Any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976. The effects of Agent Orange can take years to appear. She shares her analysis in reader-friendly articles. The VA pays disability compensation to Vietnam veterans with injuries or diseases that began in, or were aggravated by, their military service. To calculate additional compensation, use the respective "additional" rows at the end of each table. 3518, the Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2021, in the House of Representatives. No matter your diagnosis, contact us for a free consultation. Local: (303) 449-4773. . Additional amounts are paid to certain Veterans with severe disabilities ("special monthly compensation") and certain Veterans with dependents. Agent Orange was a powerful herbicide used by U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. Latest News on Agent Orange Compensation: PACT Act Edition In order for a Veteran who served in Vietnam to qualify for disability compensation benefits for a presumption based on exposure to Agent Orange, he or she should have: A qualifying medical diagnosis, and. This means you do NOT currently have the VA disability rating and compensation YOU deserve, and you could be missing out on thousands of dollars of tax-free compensation and benefits each month. Served under any of the following conditions, you may be entitled to Agent Orange benefits: If you have served in any of these circumstances, you may automatically qualify for special Agent Orange benefits from the U.S. government. Agent Orange exposure has been linked to a slew of medical conditions, including Parkinsons disease, cancer, and diabetes. 10 things every Veteran should know about Agent Orange - VA News and cum laude, Florida State University Law Review, Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award In addition, if the veteran dies before his initial claim is re-decided under Nehmer, the VA still must decide the claim and pay, in priority order, his spouse, children of any age, his parents, or his estate. Call today for a free consultation at 800-544-9144. However, even if VA does not presume a connection to service, we can help you recover benefits if you served somewhere else. Average Compensation For Agent Orange (2023 Guide) However, if you have dependents, this amount will be even higher. Today, veterans who receive financial assistance as a result of Agent Orange connected medical issues generally get their compensation in the form of disability benefits. How Much Does the V.A. Pay for Agent Orange Exposure? This information is made available for educational purposes only and to provide general information and a general understanding of the law. Finally, we invite you to contact us and we welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. These cookies dont collect information that identifies you. than 20 million gallons of Agent Orange were used by US troops in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, resulting in excessive amounts of the toxic dioxin in fields, forests, and military bases . 2. Eric Gang, ESQ. A variety of other types of military service can also make you eligible for compensation. Passed into law in August of 2022, the Honoring our PACT Act piece of VA legislation added hypertension to its list of diagnoses presumed to be caused by exposure to the tactical herbicide known as Agent Orange (AO), making eligibility for disability benefits much easier. FSGLI: Family Servicemembers Group Life Insurance, Schedule of Payments for Traumatic Losses, S-DVI: Service-Disabled Veterans Life Insurance, Beneficiary Financial Counseling and Online Will, Lesbian Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Veterans, Claims Adjudication Procedures Manual/Live Manual, Link to subscribe to receive email notice of changes to the Live Manual, A Payment Program, which provided cash compensation to totally-disabled Veterans and survivors of deceased Veterans; and. Camp Lejeune Lawsuit. Contact the appropriate VA Regional Your dependents and survivors also may be . In simplest terms, if a veteran filed his first claim for an Agent Orange-related diseasebeforethe VA added the disease to the presumptive list, the effective date of his claim (provided the disease eventually gets added to the list) is usually the date of the first claim. 5121(c) and 3.1000(c) requiring survivors to file claims for accrued benefits do not apply to payments under this section. As a result, the process can take some time. $612.40 (Veteran with 1 Parent and 1 Child) + $29.35 (additional child 1) + $29.35 (additional child 2). To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. Agent Orange exposure is presumed if a Veteran was in Vietnam from January 9, 1962 until May 7, 1975. Compensation for Agent Orange for those who qualify is available in the form of VA disability benefits. Please call for an appointment before visiting: Mail Processing Center: P.O. The rates range from $144.14 a month for 10 percent disability to $3,146.42 per month for 100 percent disability. Attention A T users. Medical evidence showing the relationship between the service-connected disability and the secondary disability. As a result, those who did not already qualify for disability benefits may now be eligible. While we still have our home base in Florida, The herbicide was primarily used in the Vietnam War, although it was also used in other military operations as well. Our office is located at 6940 O St, Suite . The Settlement Fund was distributed to class members in accordance with a distribution plan established by United States District Court Judge Jack B. Weinstein, who presided over the litigation and the settlement. If you were exposed to Agent Orange during your U.S. military service, you may be eligible for VA service-connected disability compensation for medical conditions associated with Agent Orange. 4 Orange Ave, Manahawkin, NJ 08050 | MLS #NJOC2013144 | Zillow Have Questions About Appealing Your Claim or Understanding How the Claims Process Works? Those who were exposed should make sure to understand their right to benefits if they developed a serious medical condition. Importantly, the exam isnota Compensation & Pension (C&P) exam. The defoliant, sprayed from low-flying aircraft, consisted of approximately equal amounts of the unpurified butyl esters . . Something went wrong. Veterans who served in a unit that operated in the Korean Demilitarized Zone between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971; Vietnam-era Veterans whose service involved duty on or near the perimeters of certain military bases in Thailand between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. The higher your disability rating, the more money you receive in benefits each month. This article highlights the eligibility criteria and important information for filing a claim for benefits. This allows you to submit claims that are decision-ready so you can get your claim processed as fast as possible. If, Agent Orange was an herbicide that the United States military used during the Vietnam War. the government relented and expanded the scope of who could receive compensation. During this period, these organizations assisted over 239,000 Vietnam Veterans and their families. The rates range from $144.14 a month for 10 percent disability to $3,146.42 per month for 100 percent disability. It is also important to note some other particularities about Nehmer claims. Click the button below to get more information. So, if you have one of the medical conditions mentioned above that are linked to the chemical, you should be entitled to VA disability benefits. This exam is free of charge. Washington, D.C.: 1776 I Street, NW, 9th Floor, Washington, D.C 20006 Without these cookies, services you have asked for cannot be provided. There are a few things the VA takes into consideration with disability compensation and VA disability back pay related to it: Before we discuss the Nehmer adjudication and the resulting effective date rules, it is helpful to understand the basics of the Nehmer class action itself. As you can see, these special Nehmer effective date rules are very technical and are something that the u.s. department of veterans affairs gets wrong a lot, so it is always important to double-check the effective date of such a claim to make sure it is correct or you may be missing out on many years of retroactive benefits. For instance, which pages you go to most.