Reopening Past Denials in Michigan

If you are a veteran who served as “boots-on-the-ground” or “brown water” forces in Vietnam, Korea, and Thailand and have presumptive conditions, you may be eligible to receive retroactive disability benefits for Agent Orange exposure claims. At Bassett Murray Law Group, we’re accredited to represent veteran claims across Michigan. Call us at 734-930-9200 to learn more about legal claims for exposure to Agent Orange.

Qualifying for Agent Orange Compensation

If you served in a qualifying zone between the eligible dates of service, you may be eligible to receive compensation. These locations and dates include:

• Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975
• Korean DMZ between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971
• Thailand between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975

If you are a Korean and Vietnam veteran, you must also have a presumptive disease linked to exposure to Agent Orange to reopen your claims. A presumptive disease is a condition that has been connected to a certain cause by the VA. The VA presumes that veterans who served in the areas listed who have certain conditions got it from Agent Orange exposure. If you are a veteran, you don’t have to prove a causal link with a qualifying condition.

Presumptive Diseases of Agent Orange Exposure

There are many conditions that the VA will assume a link due to Agent Orange exposure, including:

• Bladder cancer
• Chronic B-cell leukemia
• Hodgkin’s disease
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Prostate cancer
• Respiratory cancers (including lung cancer)
• Some soft tissue sarcomas (excluding osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)
• AL Amyloidosis
• Hypothyroidism
• Parkinsonism
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Ischemic heart disease
• Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)
• Chloracne (at least 10% disabling within one year of exposure)
• Peripheral neuropathy (at least 10% disabling within one year of exposure)
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (at least 10% disabling within one year of exposure)

If you have a similar condition, you may need to provide additional information about your diagnosis and when your condition onset or worsened in relation to your service.

Retroactive Pay for Nehmer Claimants

“Nehmer” claimants are those who fall in a certain legal class represented in Nehmer vs. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 1986. Several cases and the PACT Act have expanded qualifying military bases, service dates, and presumptive conditions since Nehmer.

You may be eligible for retroactive disability benefits for Agent Orange exposure, with the effective date being the later of:

1. The date of your initial claim with the VA (prior to September 25, 1985)
2. The date the disability arose or the date of diagnosis
3. The day after discharge, if you filed your claim within one year of discharge from active duty

Contact a VA Benefits Attorney for Agent Orange Claims in Ann Arbor, MI

Agent Orange exposure led to many types of cancer and other disabling conditions among America’s service members. If you or a loved one suffered a presumptive condition of exposure to Agent Orange, contact our office in Ann Arbor, MI. Call us at Bassett Murray Law Group today at 734-930-9200 to schedule a consultation with a VA claims attorney.