Service Connection for Agent Orange Related Conditions
Under VA regulations, a veteran who was exposed to herbicides in service and develops a disease which is listed on the “presumptive list” is presumed to have developed the disease because of his or her exposure to herbicides. For a list of these conditions, see http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp.
Generally, VA refers to this as exposure to Agent Orange, although there were also other herbicides used with different names. If your condition is on the list, establishing service connection is a relatively straightforward process.
Suppose your condition is not on the presumptive list? Unfortunately, VA will often deny service connection, without much more explanation than that the disability is not included on the presumptive list. While the Regional Office may stop there, that may not be the end of your claim and you should not necessarily accept this as a final answer.
In a case called Combee v. Brown, 34 F.3d 1039 (Fed.Cir. 1994), the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals determined that even if a particular condition was not included on the presumptive list for radiation exposure, the veteran could still establish service connection independently – that is, by submitting evidence that his or her disability was as likely as not related to radiation exposure in service. This rule has also been applied to claims involving Agent Orange.
So, let’s suppose you served in Vietnam. You are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange, so an “event in service” is established. If you now have one of the diseases on the presumptive list (for example, prostate cancer or diabetes), service connection is relatively simple to establish.
Suppose that instead you have one of the forms of leukemia that is not listed on the presumptive list, such as CML or AML? You can still establish service connection with a medical opinion that the leukemia was “as likely as not” caused by your exposure to Agent Orange. This is certainly a more difficult process than establishing service connection for a presumptive condition, but it can be done.
Bottom line? If your claim is denied because your condition is not on the presumptive list, but there is medical evidence of a link between your condition and Agent Orange, you should file a notice of disagreement and continue to pursue your claim.
The missing element in your claim is nexus – a connection between exposure to Agent Orange and your current illness. You’ll need a medical opinion to establish this connection, so you should discuss this with your doctor. It will help him or her if you do some research yourself – check the literature, to see if you can find any studies linking your condition to Agent Orange, or, more generally, to dioxin. If you provide study data to your doctor, he or she will be better able to provide a solid opinion linking your condition to Agent Orange exposure.
A second thing to look at is whether there is medical evidence linking your condition to benzene. Agent Orange was typically mixed with diesel fuel to distribute it, so exposure to Agent Orange generally would include exposure to benzene. There is also a chemical link between dioxin and benzene. So, don’t limit your research to dioxin – look for medical evidence linking your condition to benzene as well.
Presumptive service connection is not the only way to establish service connection for conditions caused by Agent Orange exposure. You’ll have a harder time establishing the connection for conditions that are not on the presumptive list, but with a strong medical opinion and supporting medical literature, it can be done.