Disability Granted to Vets Because of Link to Agent Orange and Adult Onset Diabetes

By: Dan Meyer
The office hours for the Lac qui Parle County Veterans Service Office are 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. My office phone number is (320) 598-3445.

Attention of Vietnam "Boots-in-Country" and "Brown Water" veterans!

Did you know approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam Conflict.

Agent Orange was a herbicide used in Vietnam to defoliate trees and remove cover for the enemy. Agent Orange spraying missions were flown in Vietnam between January 1965 and April 1970. Shipped in orange-striped barrels, it was a reddish-brown liquid containing four chemicals: 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), cacodylic acid and picloram. The 2,4,5-T was contaminated in the manufacturing process with dioxin. Several herbicides were sprayed in Vietnam at different times -- during different years as well as during different seasons because of the variety of vegetation and environmental conditions.

Special Compensation for 10 Diseases: As with other veterans, Vietnam veterans with disabilities incurred or aggravated by military service may receive monthly VA compensation. As knowledge has grown from studies of Agent Orange, some diseases that may not have become evident in service have been recognized as service-connected. Based on clinical research, the following diseases are now on VA's Agent Orange list: chloracne, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, porphyria cutanea tarda, respiratory cancers (lung, bronchus, larynx and trachea), soft-tissue sarcoma, acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy and prostate cancer. In addition, monetary benefits, health care and vocational rehabilitation services are provided to Vietnam veterans' offspring with spina bifida, a congenital birth defect of the spine. VA presumes that all military personnel who served in Vietnam and who have one of the listed diseases were exposed to Agent Orange.

Results of the military’s latest report on Agent Orange, which found a high rate of adult-onset diabetes among Vietnam veterans who participated in spraying operations.

In October 2000, NAS issued a report that found “limited / suggestive evidence” of a link between adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes and herbicides used in Vietnam, including Agent Orange. The IOM report concluded that other traditional risk factors for diabetes – heredity, weight and sedentary lifestyle – far outweigh the risks of Agent Orange.

As a result, Type 2 diabetes was added to the list of presumptive conditions associated with herbicide exposure. Rules permitting eligible veterans to apply for and receive compensation for adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes went into effect July 9, 2001.

VA officials estimate that more than 178,000 veterans might qualify for disability compensation under the new rules within five years. If you are a veteran or a family member of a veteran and need additional information concerning Agent Orange and related issues, contact Veterans Affairs and/or your local county veterans service officer for assistance.

Until next week, take care and "Fair winds and following seas."