Starting this year, the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs has extended benefits to offshore Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans. Previously herbicide exposure benefits for contact with chemicals such as Agent Orange could only be claimed by Veterans who served on the ground. In this new benefits scope, Blue Water Navy Veterans who served as far as 12 nautical miles offshore of Vietnam, as well as those that served in the Korean Demilitarized Zone could potentially claim benefits. Those previously denied of these benefits can also now have those rulings overturned. Lee McClary, Chief Veterans Service Officer of the Vietnam Veterans of America MN and Senior Claims Representative at MDVA had this to say about the long journey towards this change:

“It has been a fight decades in the making to get the Federal Government to acknowledge that Veterans who served on Navy vessels off the cost of Vietnam were just as exposed and in some case more so, as those who served in country, and those Veterans deserve to have that exposure recognized. There are fights still to be had and organizations like the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) and its affiliates i.e. America Legion and Vietnam Veterans of America will continue those fights to make sure no Veteran is left behind.”

With this change MDVA is excited and willing to help any Veteran in filing their benefits based on herbicide exposure. If you are a Veteran or the relative of a Veteran and are questioning if you are eligible for these benefits, please contact the MDVA claims Office at (612) 970-5662 or contact your local County Veterans Service Officer to learn more.