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News Topic: Agent Orange

VA Expands Disability Benefits for Air Force Personnel Exposed to Contaminated C-123 Aircraft

June 22, 2015

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today published a new regulation that expands eligibility for some benefits for a select group of Air Force Veterans and Air Force Reserve personnel who were exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange through regular and repeated contact with contaminated C-123 aircraft that had been used in Vietnam as part of Operation Ranch Hand (ORH).VA published this regulation as an interim final rule so that it could immediately begin providing benefits to eligible Air Force veterans and Air Force Reserve personnel who submit a disability compensation cl

Funding Amount Reached for ND Veterans Exposed to Defoliant

April 14, 2015

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - House and Senate negotiators have reached an agreement on the amount of funding to help identify and provide services to Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange.

Foreman Democratic Rep. Bill Amerman says the conference committee voted 6-0 on Monday to fund the program at $50,000 over the next two years. Both chambers still must approve the recommendation.

Democratic Sen. Richard Marcellais says there are about 15,000 Vietnam veterans living in North Dakota, and many of them may have been exposed to the jungle defoliant.

Lawmakers Push Bill for Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange

April 8, 2015

We're still reminded to never forget those missing in action or any prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict, but there's one other issue that still stands out.

Senator Richard Marcellais has been wearing orange to bring awareness to the need for more funding for Vietnam veterans exposed to agent orange during the war. He says there are approximately 15,000 veterans of that war in North Dakota, including himself, who served there from 1968 to 1969.

Agent Orange: It's Affecting Veterans and Their Kids

March 23, 2015

The number of Vietnam veterans affected by the chemical Agent Orange is astonishing. Roughly 300-thousand veterans have died from Agent Orange exposure -- that's almost five times as many as the 58-thousand who died in combat.

“Did it save lives? No doubt. Over there it did, but nobody knew it was going to be taking them later,” said Dan Stenvold, President of the North Dakota branch of the VVA.

The Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) define Agent Orange as a highly toxic herbicide used by the U.S. military to kill vegetation during the Vietnam War.

Vets battle VA on post-Vietnam Agent Orange claims

March 12, 2014

By Patricia Kime 
Staff writer

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Bailey never fought in Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia, where many U.S. troops were exposed to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange.

But last July, Bailey, then 67, won a hard-fought and groundbreaking battle when the Veterans Affairs Department finally approved his claim that Agent Orange caused his prostate cancer and metastatic pelvic cancer.

Study: Post-Vietnam Troops Exposed to Agent Orange

February 26, 2014

February 25, 2014 | by Bryant Jordan

A new study found that airmen who flew and maintained the C-123 Provider long after the planes were used to spray Agent Orange over Vietnam were exposed to dangerous levels of the dioxin that remained in the aircraft.

A report in Scientific Research titled "Post-Vietnam Military Herbicide Exposures in UC-123 Agent Orange Spray Aircraft" found that environmental testing of the planes revealed traces of dioxin levels above the Defense Department's own standards for maximum permissible exposure to poisonous chemicals.

Military Exposure

January 28, 2014

VA has updated the list of ships that operated in Vietnam, adding more and expanding information for others. The list can help Vietnam-era Veterans find out if they qualify for presumption of Agent Orange exposure when seeking disability compensation for related diseases.

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