Vietnam service ‘presumptive’ disability benefits

Veterans Corner: Vietnam service ‘presumptive’ disability benefits
By Joe Wright
November 14, 2012

VA presumes that specific disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans were caused by their military service. VA does this because of the unique circumstances of their military service. If one of these conditions is diagnosed in a veteran, VA presumes that the circumstances of his/her service caused the condition and disability compensation can be awarded.

The following health conditions are presumptively recognized for service in Vietnam. Veterans with one or more recognized conditions do not have to show that their illness is related to their military service to get disability compensation. VA presumes that their condition is service-connected. Conditions include chloracne; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; soft tissue sarcoma; Hodgkin’s disease; porphyria cutanea tarda; multiple myeloma; respiratory cancers including cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea and bronchus; prostate cancer; acute and subacute transient peripheral neuropathy; type 2 diabetes; and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Recently added conditions include B cell leukemias such as hairy cell leukemia, Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease.
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