TEMPLE, Texas — Veteran Affairs leaders will not recommend an appeal of a federal court ruling, which will allow thousands of Blue Water Veterans who were exposed to cancer-causing agents, like Agent Orange, to receive disability benefits, according to the Military Times.
Currently, 90,000 Blue Water Navy Veterans receive medical care for illnesses through the VA but in order to receive disability benefits, they must prove direct contact with herbicides while on duty, which is not the case for veterans who served on the mainland during the Vietnam War.
This decision likely means thousands of sailors and Marines, who were denied benefits for years, will receive Agent Orange-related compensation and VA-paid benefits.
You can read the full decision from the appeals court's website.