Agent Orange Claims

There is no medical test that proves Agent Orange exposure, and there never will be: the herbicide components leave the body quickly, and dioxin is too widespread in the environment to trace to service decades later. That is exactly why the presumption runs on service location and dates, which makes your personnel records, not your blood work, the heart of the claim.

Agent Orange overview

Agent Orange was a tactical herbicide used by U.S. forces, primarily during the Vietnam War. Many veterans exposed to Agent Orange developed health conditions later in life. VA recognizes a list of presumptive conditions associated with Agent Orange exposure.

Qualifying service

Service in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975, certain Korean DMZ service, Thailand base perimeter service, Blue Water Navy service in the territorial seas of Vietnam, and other listed exposure locations, including locations expanded by the PACT Act.

Common presumptive conditions

Ischemic heart disease, type II diabetes, Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonism, several cancers including prostate, respiratory, bladder, hypothyroidism, peripheral neuropathy, soft tissue sarcomas, AL amyloidosis, chronic B-cell leukemias, and others. The full list is maintained on VA.gov.

Evidence that supports a claim

DD-214 and service personnel records showing dates and locations of service, medical records establishing a current diagnosis, and any private medical opinions when needed. A nexus letter is usually not required when the condition is on the presumptive list and qualifying service is documented.

Children's birth defects

Children of certain Vietnam veterans may be eligible for benefits for spina bifida and other listed conditions. This is a separate VA benefit program.

How accredited representation helps

Presumption rules and qualifying-service criteria are detailed and have expanded over time. A VA accredited representative can confirm whether your service location and dates qualify.

Official Agent Orange research resources

VA Public Health maintains the research hub for Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures. It tracks the current science on health effects, hosts the Agent Orange Registry health exam program, and publishes provider guidance. If you want to read what VA itself says about the evidence behind each presumptive condition, that hub is the place to start, and it is cited below.

2025 Agent Orange newsletter highlights

VA publishes an annual Agent Orange newsletter for Vietnam era veterans, and the 2025 edition (the most recent) carries several updates worth knowing:

• Agent Blue at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. VA updated its list of herbicides used, tested, and stored outside Vietnam to include Agent Blue, an arsenic based herbicide, applied at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona between 1973 and 1977. Only the pesticide applicators themselves were considered at risk, and claims are decided case by case. The full list of test and storage locations is cited below.
• There is no test for Agent Orange exposure. The herbicide components leave the body quickly, and dioxin is too widespread in the environment to trace to service decades later. That is exactly why the presumption works by service location and period instead of by medical testing.
• The registry exam is not a disability exam. The Agent Orange Registry health exam is free, does not require enrollment in VA health care, and helps VA track long term health patterns. It is not a C&P exam and is not required for benefits. Blue Water Navy and Brown Water veterans both qualify.
• Early onset peripheral neuropathy has a timing rule. VA presumes the connection when the neuropathy appeared within one year of herbicide exposure and reached at least 10 percent severity. If your symptoms started later, the condition can still be claimed on a direct basis with medical evidence.
• Where to take exposure concerns. Every VA facility has an environmental health coordinator, and VA's national VET-HOME team handles exposure assessments remotely.

Research behind the presumptive conditions

The presumptive list did not appear out of thin air. VA runs its own long term studies of Vietnam era veterans, and they are worth knowing because they show how conditions move onto the list:

• The Army Chemical Corps study follows roughly 4,000 veterans who handled and sprayed herbicides between 1965 and 1973, examining whether high blood pressure and COPD are tied to Agent Orange exposure. Research like this is part of why hypertension was added as a presumptive condition by the PACT Act.
• VE-HEROeS compares the current health of Vietnam era veterans with similarly aged Americans who never served, across blue water, brown water, and land service.
• The Health of Vietnam Era Women's Study is the most comprehensive look to date at the mental and physical health of the women who served during Vietnam.

If you have a condition that is not on the presumptive list but you believe it is connected to herbicide exposure, studies like these are the kind of evidence a direct service connection claim can cite. Our guide to using medical research as nexus evidence shows how.

Before you file an Agent Orange claim, ask

• Do my service dates and locations match a qualifying exposure window: Vietnam, the Korean DMZ, Thailand base perimeter, Blue Water Navy service, or a listed test and storage site?
• Is my current diagnosis on the presumptive list, and is it documented by a provider in the record?
• Do my DD-214 and personnel records actually show the qualifying service, or do I need to request them first?
• If the condition is not on the presumptive list, can a direct claim cite the research and a medical opinion instead?
• For early onset peripheral neuropathy, did symptoms appear within one year of exposure at 10 percent severity, or should the claim run on a direct basis with medical evidence?

Related on this site

• Presumptive Conditions and Toxic Exposure: How the Presumption Works
• Cancers and Environmental Exposures