Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act 2019

The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 was signed into law on June 25, 2019, and took effect January 1, 2020.      The Law states that Veterans who served not more than 12-nautical miles offshore of the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975  are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides such as Agent Orange, and may be entitled to service connection for conditions related to that exposure.
               Click here for the VA Blue Water Navy Fact Sheet
               Click here for the VA Frequently Asked Questions (as of 10/29/19) regarding the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019. 
               Click here for a list of diseases related to Agent Orange Exposure.

If you are a Veteran who previously filed a claim for disability benefits and had your claim denied, you can file a new claim based on the change in the law.    In certain cases, if your claim is approved, VA may pay you retroactively to the date when you submitted your original claim.