VA Backs Compensation for Agent Orange Exposure

The Department of Veterans Affairs will publish a final rule Aug. 31 establishing a presumptive right to financial compensation for Vietnam veterans who contract Parkinson’s disease, ischemic heart disease, and B-cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia. The compensation is presumed to be due the veterans because of their exposure to Agent Orange, an herbicide containing chemicals including dioxin that was used to defoliate ground cover during the Vietnam War. “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 illness and their military services. ...