Nearly 2.6 million Americans served in Vietnam, and anyone who set foot there during the war is eligible for compensation if they suffer from one of 16 ailments. Some are fairly common, like Type II diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and prostate cancer.
The vast majority of these veterans are now in their 60s and 70s, and much more likely to develop the diseases covered by the law. Many veterans may not know that illnesses appearing so much later could qualify them for combat-related disability.
The Agent Orange law, passed in 1991, states that a military person who was in Vietnam between Jan. 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 and has been diagnosed with one of the named conditions qualifies for disability benefits. These payments can range up to $2,673 a month for 100 percent disability.
Medical conditions covered by the 1991 Agent Orange Act include:
- Prostate Cancer
- Respiratory cancers
- Multiple Myeloma
- Type II diabetes
- Hodgkin’s disease
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Soft tissue sarcoma (cancer)
- Chloracne
- Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Chronic Llymphocytic leukemia
- B-cell leukemias
- Parkinson’s disease
- Ischemic heart disease
- AL Amyloidosis
- Spina Bifida and certain other birth defects in vets’ children.
No comments:
Post a Comment