02-28-2022, 11:42 PM
As of 30 NOV 39,061 of 75,205 Received Claims Processed
On Jan. 1, 2020, the Blue Water Navy (BWN) Vietnam Veterans Act went into law, supporting Veterans
who may be eligible for benefits based on presumption of herbicide exposure. One year later, VA reflects
on its progress. As of Nov. 30, 2020, VA has processed 39,061 of 75,205 claims received. Of those, 27,366
were granted – awarding more than $724 million in retroactive benefits. The most common granted claims
included medical conditions diabetes, malignant growth of the lung, coronary bypass surgery, malignant
growths of genitourinary system and coronary artery disease. In addition, the law provides benefits for
children born with certain health conditions whose parent was a Veteran with verified herbicide exposure
while serving in Thailand.
The law affects Veterans who served on vessels operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from
the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia, as defined in Public Law 116-23. Veterans,
their dependents, and survivors who meet this criteria can apply for these approved benefits. Veterans –
and survivors of deceased Veterans – who served in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone from Sept. 1,
1967, to Aug. 31, 1971, can apply for benefits.
To help implement the law, VA collaborated with the National Archives and Records Administration to
digitize all Navy and Coast Guard deck logs for ships with known Vietnam service. Digitization of the
Navy deck logs was completed in December 2019; Coast Guard deck logs were completed in September
2020. As part of the agreement, VA provided digital images of the deck logs to NARA to make them
digitally available in the National Archives Catalog, which can be found here http://catalog.archives.gov/ . Veterans may contact inquire@nara.gov if the deck
log they are seeking is not available in the National Archives Catalog. Learn more about Agent Orange
exposure and VA disability compensation or call 800-827-1000 for more information.
On Jan. 1, 2020, the Blue Water Navy (BWN) Vietnam Veterans Act went into law, supporting Veterans
who may be eligible for benefits based on presumption of herbicide exposure. One year later, VA reflects
on its progress. As of Nov. 30, 2020, VA has processed 39,061 of 75,205 claims received. Of those, 27,366
were granted – awarding more than $724 million in retroactive benefits. The most common granted claims
included medical conditions diabetes, malignant growth of the lung, coronary bypass surgery, malignant
growths of genitourinary system and coronary artery disease. In addition, the law provides benefits for
children born with certain health conditions whose parent was a Veteran with verified herbicide exposure
while serving in Thailand.
The law affects Veterans who served on vessels operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from
the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia, as defined in Public Law 116-23. Veterans,
their dependents, and survivors who meet this criteria can apply for these approved benefits. Veterans –
and survivors of deceased Veterans – who served in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone from Sept. 1,
1967, to Aug. 31, 1971, can apply for benefits.
To help implement the law, VA collaborated with the National Archives and Records Administration to
digitize all Navy and Coast Guard deck logs for ships with known Vietnam service. Digitization of the
Navy deck logs was completed in December 2019; Coast Guard deck logs were completed in September
2020. As part of the agreement, VA provided digital images of the deck logs to NARA to make them
digitally available in the National Archives Catalog, which can be found here http://catalog.archives.gov/ . Veterans may contact inquire@nara.gov if the deck
log they are seeking is not available in the National Archives Catalog. Learn more about Agent Orange
exposure and VA disability compensation or call 800-827-1000 for more information.