> SOUTHERN INDIANA —
The list of illnesses that can qualify a Vietnam veteran for disability pay and health care related to Agent Orange exposure has expanded.
The U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs announced last October that Parkinson’s disease, ischemic heart disease and chronic B cell leukemias will be added to the list of diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents.
Vietnam-era veterans will no longer have to prove a connection between those illnesses and their military service to receive health benefits.
“This historic regulation will help ailing veterans overcome the burdensome paperwork that complicates their benefit claims,” said Indiana Rep. Baron Hill in a press release.
“By classifying these conditions as assumedly service related, the Veteran’s Administration confirms what Vietnam veterans have known for years.”
Hill said, it’s estimated that more than 7,000 Hoosier veterans have suffered the effects of Agent Orange exposure.
The herbicide was used by American forces during the war to clear dense vegetation which characterized the forest land in Vietnam and Cambodia that guerrilla fighters used as a means for cover and food.
For more information, visit the website www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.
Details on filing claims can be found through the website www.vba.va.gov.
— Staff Writer Daniel Suddeath
Floyd County
Related Photos
-
Baron Hill
Discussion
Care for diseases associated with Agent Orange expanded
Vietnam-era veterans will no longer have to prove a connection between illnesses and military service
- Floyd County
-
-
Sweat Equity
-
Lugar says he won’t campaign for Mourdock
Lugar issued a statement chastising Mourdock for his unwillingness to compromise after the tea party favorite soundly beat him in the May 8 primary election.
-
SWEET TREAT: Volunteers see the attraction of annual Starlight Strawberry Festival
-
Board chair: Parks district best solution for New Albany and Floyd County
Mayor Jeff Gahan’s veto of a new parks deal between the city and county was upheld earlier this month by the New Albany City Council. While the Floyd County Council agreed to still pay an additional $100,000 toward the parks department for the remainder of the year, the city and county remain under a prior agreement that led to funding discrepancies in the past.
-
THE 'V' WORD: SUB: Prosser Career Education Center moves away from stigma of ‘vocational’ school
- TARC sets Memorial Day and Kennedy Bridge route changes
-
Vietnam veteran receives medals 46 years after active duty ends
-
Pence talks bridges, jobs during Southern Indiana swing
“I think everyone senses with the recent bridges agreement, the potential for extraordinary growth,” said Mike Pence, a U.S. House member who is seeking to replace Gov. Mitch Daniels and retain the gubernatorial seat for the Republican Party.
-
Delaware woman dies in I-65 crash
-
Collingsworth Family to perform at Silver Heights Retreat Center in New Albany
The Collingsworth Family will be making a return trip to the Silver Heights Retreat and Camp Center in New Albany on Thursday, June 7.
- More Floyd County Headlines
-
