VA To Simplify Agent Orange Claims Process

VA plans to build an Agent Orange disability claims system 05/17/2010.  The Veterans Affairs Department plans to build a system to process simplified claims for Vietnam veterans exposed to the toxic chemical Agent Orange, creating its first fully automated disability claims network.  The system will support processing for what VA calls Agent Orange presumptive claims, which until March included 12 diseases associated with exposure to the defoliant that was widely used during the Vietnam War. In March, VA issued a notice in the Federal Register informing the public of its intent to add three classes of diseases to that list: certain leukemias, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease. NextGov