Being a Vietnam veteran is an uncommon distinction that sets you apart from other US veterans. The Vietnam War Era officially began on August 5, 1964, and ended on May 7, 1975, per former President Gerald Ford. Approximately 2.7 million Americans were deployed during this time, and more than 58,000 lost their lives while 153,000 others were wounded. Currently, the population of Vietnam war veterans is less than 850,000, and many of them can access helpful VA services.
If you’re curious about Vietnam veterans’ benefits and how you can claim them, then worry not, as they do cover you equally with the rest of the Us veterans. These include disability compensation for service-related conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or physical injuries, VA pensions, healthcare, mortgages, and life insurance. In addition, Vietnam veterans may be disabled because of exposure to a very toxic herbicide referred to as agent orange, which was widely used during the war.
You might recognize the term Agent Orange due to its usage as a combination of chemicals that was aimed at stripping trees and concealment of the enemy’s foot forces. To be specific, the operation which involved the spraying of Agent Orange known as Operation Ranch Hand spanned between the year nineteen sixty two and nineteen seventy one during which time, the chemical was sprayed millions of gallons in Vietnam and some parts of Laos. Most importantly however, the aftermath of its use was disastrous to health. Dioxin, a deadly thcic in agent orange, was in contact with numerous American and Vietnamese civilians, resulting in chronic ill health effects.
To mitigate this exposure, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that any veteran who served on land in Vietnam from January 9, 1963, to May 1975, was exposed to Agent Orange. This includes any service member who was ever even briefly ashore or on inland waterways or vessels traversing Vietnam. This also applies to veterans who were present in the area surrounding the Korean Demilitarized Zone between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971. This presumption is useful in that it lessens the burden on veterans to establish the fact of exposure to claim benefits for any injury or illness associated with such exposure.
There are other pathways to take in case you think you were exposed to Agent Orange, even if you served outside the designated periods or locations. Veterans who were or are working at U.S. military bases in Thailand during the Vietnam war, veterans who were involved in the use or testing of herbicides outside Vietnam, C-123 pilots or aircrew members who flew the aircraft after it dropped the Agent Orange over Vietnam, and even those engaged in herbicide operations in their own country are able to claim exposure related to their service.
Recently, as more studies are published about the health of naval and coast guard veterans, the VA has included in the list those who served on certain ships during a specific period in the navy or coast guard for Vietnam war veterans. In this case, if you were present on one of those ships, it is quite possible that this coverage will also extend to you. Also, it was not only the veterans who suffered consequences of Agent Orange exposure; there are some veteran’s children who were born with some post-war ailments due to their exposure and may qualify for some VA benefits as well.
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You, as a veteran of the Vietnam war, have numerous benefits that you may be entitled to. Taking the initiative to look into these options may prove to be of great help to you and possibly your family as well.
