VA Begins Paying AO Disability Benefits

Week of November 08, 2010

The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun distributing disability benefits to Vietnam veterans who qualify due to medical conditions recently associated with Agent Orange including 78B-cell (or hairy-cell) leukemia, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease. Providing initial payments, or increases to existing payments, is expected to take several months, but Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and suffer from one of the three diseases should make sure their applications have been submitted. To apply for disability compensation under one of the three new Agent Orange presumptive, visit VA's Agent Orange Fast Track Claims Processing System or call 1-800-827-1000.