The Department of Veterans Affairs will soon ease standards of proof for Vietnam War veterans who suffer from three maladies related to exposure to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. In an Oct. 13 announcement, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said that newly released clinical studies concluded that veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and suffer from hairy-cell leukemia and other related leukemias, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic heart disease will now be considered service-connected. That determination will enable affected veterans to receive treatment at VA medical facilities, and seek disability compensation and other benefits as well.
