VA proposes rule to extend presumed areas of exposure to Agent Orange
Author: Sarah Feldman - Jon Tester's Office
VA proposes rule to extend presumed areas of exposure to Agent Orange
Sarah Feldman
Jon Tester's Office
VA Moves to Expand Agent Orange Veterans Benefits Using Authorities from Tester’s PACT Act
VA proposes rule to extend presumed areas of exposure to Agent Orange and make it easier for toxic-exposed veterans to receive earned benefits and health care.
(U.S. Senate) – Following years-long efforts by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester to expand toxic-exposed veterans’ access to earned health care and benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today moved to expand the locations and time frames for which VA presumes a veterans’ exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides. This change will make it easier for veterans exposed to Agent Orange during their military service to receive their earned VA benefits and health care.
VA’s move to expand toxic-exposed benefits for veterans follows Tester’s Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, which expanded the list of locations where VA must recognize veterans were exposed to the toxic herbicide Agent Orange. The PACT Act also provided VA resources and authorities it is now using to further expand that list. Prior to the PACT Act, eligibility for presumption of exposure was limited to Vietnam and limited areas in Thailand and Korea.
