All veterans are at risk for service-related injuries and conditions. For instance, Vietnam veterans who were exposed to the tactical herbicide Agent Orange on the battlefield are at risk of developing various diseases. This risk is taken into account with regard to health benefits. If Vietnam veterans develop a condition that’s included on the official list of Agent Orange-related diseases, they may be entitled to health benefits to compensate. However, recent studies have shown that Vietnam veterans might be developing diseases that aren’t on the list, including Parkinsonism, hyperthyroidism and bladder cancer.

This is worrisome because these veterans need health benefits too. Currently a bipartisan group of senators are urging the Armed Service Committees to add these diseases to the national defense policy bill. If this happens, veterans with these conditions will be able to collect veterans benefits to help them seek treatment. According to one of the senators, nearly 34,000 are suffering from these conditions and unable to receive treatment because they don’t quality for veterans’ health benefits.

Officials working for the Department of Veterans Affairs say that they haven’t added the diseases to the list because they’re waiting for the results of two studies. The final vote will probably not occur until the 2020 presidential election is over.

Where can veterans go for assistance with collecting disability benefits?

Whenever a veteran served, if they were injured or suffered from an illness due to their military service, they might be entitled to health benefits from the United States government. To get assistance with filing a claim, they might wish to hire an attorney. A lawyer can guide them through the process and assist them if the claim is denied.