Number: RL34370
Title: Veterans Affairs: Health Care and Benefits for Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange
Authors: Sidath Viranga Panangala, Domestic Social Policy Division; Douglas Reid Weimer, American Law Division 
Abstract: Navy veterans of the Vietnam Era (those who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975), who served offshore and were never physically present on Vietnamese soil, have been contesting the presumption of serviceconnection for Agent Orange disability benefits. In 2006, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) ruled in Haas v. Nicholson that navy veterans who served offshore during the Vietnam Era were entitled to a presumption of exposure to Agent Orange. However, in May 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the prior CAVC ruling. The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2008 (H.R. 6562), which has seen no legislative action, would clarify service in Vietnam to include inland waterways, waters offshore, and, airspace above Vietnam.
Pages: 9
Date: August 25, 2008