WASHINGTON -- Veterans who served in Korea from 1968 through 1971 were probably exposed to Agent Orange, which makes them eligible for treatment at VA medical centers, according to a ruling from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"VA's primary mission is to be an advocate for veterans," Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said in a statement. "With this new regulation VA has cleared a path for more veterans who served in the demilitarized zone in Korea to receive access to our quality healthcare and disability benefits for exposure to Agent Orange."
Agent Orange, a defoliant used to minimize concealment for enemy combatants in wooded areas, was used in the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1970. In total, it has affected an estimated 2.6 million U.S. military personnel, according to the VA.
In the past, the VA stipulated that Agent Orange exposure could only be assumed for veterans who served in particular units along the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) between April 1968 and July 1969.
Under the new , which was published this week in the Federal Register, the VA will presume herbicide exposure for any veteran who served between April 1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971, "in a unit determined by VA and the Department of Defense to have operated in an area in or near the Korean DMZ in which herbicides were applied," according to the statement.
In reality, veterans who have specific illnesses presumed to be caused by Agent Orange don't have to prove it happened during their military service, the department noted. "This 'presumption' simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits and ensures that veterans receive the benefits they deserve."
The statement urges affected veterans to for access to care and compensation as soon as possible.
This week's announcement is the second recent effort by the VA to broaden the number of veterans eligible for care and compensation as a result of Agent Orange exposure.
In November 2010, the department began distributing disability benefits to veterans suffering from three additional illnesses -- B cell leukemias (such as hairy cell leukemia), Parkinson's disease, and ischemic heart diseases -- thought to stem from Agent Orange exposure.
The VA had already been paying out benefits in the case of 15 other illnesses, including acute and subacute transient peripheral neuropathy; chloracne; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; multiple myeloma; porphyria cutanea tarda; respiratory cancers; soft tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma); Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate cancer, and type 2 diabetes.