WASHINGTON, DC—VA has announced that it has updated the list of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships that operated in Vietnam, adding 47 more vessels to the list and expanding information for others.

This list can be used by Vietnam-era Veterans to find out if they qualify for presumption for Agent Orange exposure when applying for disability benefits from VA.

Veterans who served on ships that operated in the rivers of Vietnam or near the coastline have been one of the Vietnam veteran populations for whom Agent Orange presumption has been a contentious matter of debate for many years. Previously, VA only gave presumptive disability benefits for Agent Orange exposure to veterans who had been on the ground in Vietnam.

However, studies have shown that veterans who served on ships in the rivers of the country and veterans who served on ships near the coastline (Brown Water Veterans) risked exposure. And studies have been inconclusive for veterans who served on ships farther to sea (Blue Water Veterans).

The list that VA has updated includes ships or boats that were part of the Mobile Riverline Force, Inshore Fire Support Division 93, or were a specific type of craft that operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam.

For veterans who can show they served on one of these ships, as well as any Vietnam veteran who served on the ground, it is presumed that if they have one of the illnesses on VA’s list of Agent Orange-related conditions, then it is service-connected.

Blue Water Veterans can still apply for disability benefits if they believe they were expose to Agent Orange. However, the current claims process for Blue Water Veterans follows the same path as most veterans submitting claims. They are taken on a case by case basis, and there is no presumed association between illness and service. They must provide evidence to support that claim.

There have been several attempts by legislators to pass bills giving Blue Water Veterans whose ships served up to 12 miles off-shore of the Vietnam coast presumptive status, including one in the Senate and one in the House that are still making their way through the committee process.