Can you get a Purple Heart for Agent Orange?

The Orange Heart Medal would honor and recognize victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Whereas the Purple Heart Medal acknowledges a visible injury, the Orange Heart Medal acknowledges an invisible injury.

Does Agent Orange qualify for Purple Heart?

Unfortunately, this myth spread nationwide and took almost thirty years to extinguish." "Today, there is a new group of Vietnam vets who are spreading the myth that anyone diagnosed with an Agent Orange related illness is eligible for the Purple Heart. This claim is also false."

Who is eligible for a Purple Heart?

Eligibility for a Purple Heart applies to service members who suffered a wound: 1) As the direct or indirect result of enemy action, and 2) The wound required treatment by a medical officer at the time of the injury.

What is the average payout for Agent Orange?

Of the 105,000 claims received by the Payment Program, approximately 52,000 Vietnam Veterans or their survivors received cash payments which averaged about $3,800 each.

How much does the VA pay for Agent Orange exposure?

If you, your spouse, or a parent was exposed to Agent Orange during their military service and developed cancer or another medical condition listed below, you may be entitled to compensation of up to $39,000 per year in tax-free VA benefits.

Ballo Wood - Purple Heart

Is Agent Orange a 100 disability?

With a proper diagnosis of respiratory cancer in a veteran with Agent Orange exposure, the VA will provide a 100% disability rating as long as the cancer is active and during treatment. This means that the veteran will receive the highest compensation that fits their eligibility bracket.

How do you prove exposure to Agent Orange?

Do you get back pay for Agent Orange?

Blue Water Back Pay Errors

VA has been awarding benefits to Vietnam veterans for any conditions related to Agent Orange for decades. When Congress passed new legislation that expanded coverage to the veterans who served on offshore ships, VA did not award retroactive benefits beyond the passage of that law.

What benefits do you get after death from Agent Orange?

Survivors' benefits

Surviving spouses, dependent children and dependent parents of Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during service and died as the result of diseases related to the exposure may be eligible for health care, compensation, education, and home loan benefits.

Who qualifies for Agent Orange benefits?

Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam while on active duty are eligible for disability compensation through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as long as they were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

Does every veteran get a Purple Heart?

Today, U.S. service members of any rank who have been wounded or killed in enemy action are qualified to receive a Purple Heart medal.

Does PTSD qualify for Purple Heart?

The regulation lists PTSD as an injury that clearly does not meet these requirements. The Purple Heart has never been awarded for mental or psychological problems.

Is a Purple Heart a big deal?

For many military personnel, a Purple Heart is an award that many want to avoid. While it is one of the most honorable awards presented to U.S. military personnel on behalf of the president of the United States, it is an indicator that a person was injured or killed during combat with an enemy of the United States.

Can Agent Orange be passed from father to daughter?

There is currently no definitive evidence that a father's exposure to Agent Orange causes birth defects.

Would a Purple Heart be listed on a dd214?

The record in this case contains two Department of Defense (DD) Form 214's, identical in all aspects (including the listing of the veteran's military specialty as auto mechanic) but one: the first DD 214 does not list the Purple Heart Medal among the veteran's awards and citations, and the second contains the words " ...

Can you get a Purple Heart without being in combat?

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces who were (i) wounded, killed, or may die (ii) due to wounds received in action against an enemy of the United States, in action against an opposing enemy force from a foreign country that is in conflict with the United States Armed Forces, as the ...

How much money do Vietnam veterans get?

For veterans who received VA's disability payments in addition to their other income, the average annual payment was $18,100. Those disability payments made their income higher than other veterans' income, on average.

Does a surviving spouse get Agent Orange benefits?

VA offers a wide range of benefits to surviving spouses, dependent children and dependent parents of Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and died as the result of diseases related to Agent Orange exposure. Benefits include compensation and health care benefits.

How far back will the VA pay back pay?

The VA typically only pays disability compensation going back to the date of discharge to veterans who apply for their VA disability benefits within one year of being discharged. All of this underscores the need to submit your VA disability benefits claim as soon as possible.

What are the 14 conditions related to Agent Orange?

Was Agent Orange a war crime?

Is the spraying of Agent Orange considered a war crime? No. The Environmental Modification Convention, put into effect in after the end of the Vietnam War, prohibits the military to use techniques having widespread, long-lasting or severe effects on the environment.

How long does it take for Agent Orange to go away?

The dioxin TCDD, the harmful contaminant of Agent Orange, can stay in the human body for decades. It is believed to have a chemical half-life of seven to 11 years. This means that half the concentration of TCDD will break down or otherwise be flushed from the body within that time span.

How long does it take for Agent Orange to show up?

Elevated blood TCDD levels, probably related to Agent Orange exposure, can be detected between two and three decades after potential exposure in some American veterans. Original levels were estimated to be 35-1,500-fold greater that that of the general population (4 ppt, lipid) at the time of exposure.

Does Agent Orange change your DNA?

The constituents of Agent Orange are capable of producing gene mutations and chromosomal aberrations, at least in some experimental circumstances. TCDD and 2,4,5-T are teratogenic in mice and perhaps in other mammals, but the teratogenicity of these chemicals has not been convincingly demonstrated in humans.

Were all Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange?

For the purposes of VA compensation benefits, Veterans who served anywhere in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides, as specified in the Agent Orange Act of 1991.