Vietnam veterans may qualify for a wide array of benefits due to Agent Orange exposure. Some of the benefits include home loans, health care, employment, burial, disability compensation pension, insurance, vocational rehabilitation, education, and training. Below are just a few groups that are eligible for these benefits.
Vietnam Veterans
After the Vietnam war, veterans experienced various adverse health problems attributed to the Agent Orange chemical. A report by Forbes highlights some of the shocking health problems of veterans. VA also presumed that some disabilities were caused by exposure to the chemical during military service.
Some of the presumed illnesses include:
- Respiratory cancer
- Hodgkin’s disease
- Soft tissue sarcomas
- Multiple myeloma
- Prostate cancer
- Chronic b-cell leukemia
To get the benefits, the veterans don’t have to prove an association between the disease and chemical exposure. However, it helps speed up the application procedure, and they automatically get compensated. The veterans also receive free medical care on these illnesses and a protocol exam. Still, if one of the presumed diseases caused veterans death, the dependent children and surviving spouse receive VA payments.
There may also be other long-term illnesses caused by this herbicide, as per VA’s Agent Orange registry. Therefore, the registry’s data assists VA in understanding and responding to these health issues effectively. It includes an exposure history, physical assessment, medical history, and any other relevant tests. Further, there is a VA health expert to discuss results.
It may be tricky to determine the exact compensation since it depends on the combined rating. Using a VA disability calculator to determine the monthly or annual payment gives the specific amount a veteran could receive from the combined rating.
Veterans Children
Children of war veterans exposed to the Agent Orange chemical are also eligible for VA compensation. One of the significant defects is spina bifida, a spinal birth defect, but other defects are also considered. Children with this illness are entitled to health care, educational benefits, and monthly allowances.
A child can receive these benefits provided they have proof that one or both biological parents participated in the Vietnam war. It’s irrespective of whether the service was made on foot, on a docked ship, or in the waterways. Additionally, a child conceived after a parent entered the Korean demilitarized zone, or Vietnam is also eligible. A congenital disability that led to a permanent physical or mental disability should also be compensated.
Widows and Spouses
Surviving spouses qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits if the wartime veteran served from February 28th, 1961, to May 7th, 1975. Still, spouses of the US military servicemen who served in the same period but from August 5th, 1964, can also claim the benefits.
If a surviving spouse was married to a veteran for at least a year and never remarried, they are eligible for Aid and Attendance benefits. Additionally, if they were married for less than one year and had a child, they can claim the benefits. They could also qualify if they remarried on or after January 1st, 1971, and the marriage was terminated by divorce or death before November 1st, 1991.
Additionally, spouses of veterans who remarried are eligible for a death pension. It’s an enhanced package with long-term care, extending to the unmarried children of the deceased wartime veteran. The children must be either under age 18, or under age 23 and attending VA-approved schools. It can also apply if a child suffered permanent disability before the age of 18.
If you are a war veteran, service member, or family, you can apply for the above VA benefits. A VA disability calculator will be used to get the actual compensation you qualify to receive. You can file an application online, visit a VA regional office for assistance, or work with an accredited agent.
