'Blue Water' Navy Vietnam Veterans Closer to Receiving Agent Orange Benefits

https://kstp.com/medical/blue-water-navy-vietnam-veterans-agent-orange-benefits-/4969645/

'Blue Water' Navy Vietnam Veterans Closer to Receiving Agent Orange Benefits

June 29, 2018 08:11 PM

Blue Water Navy Vietnam veterans are one step closer to receiving Agent Orange disability compensation after it passed the U.S. House earlier this week. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not grant Agent Orange benefits to ‘Blue Water’ navy veterans who served on ships off the coast of Vietnam.
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Agent Orange was a herbicide and defoliant chemical that the military sprayed from planes during Vietnam. The VA has associated exposure to diseases including certain cancers, nervous system conditions and Type 2 diabetes. Veterans who set foot in Vietnam or in the inland waterways are presumed to have had exposure to Agent Orange, granting them additional benefits from the government.
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Wentling watched the vote on Monday and says H.R. 299 is now in the Senate. "There's no indication of when a vote could come," she said. "I think it will really be these veterans holding their feet to the fire to get this to the Senate floor," Wentling said.
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