Presumption of Exposure to Herbicides for Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Not Supported

Résumé

On May 20, 2011, at the request of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences issued a report titled, "Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure." The IOM reviewed a wide range of data sources including peer-reviewed literature, exposure and transport modeling, interviews with veterans, ship deck logs, and other government documents, and concluded that there is insufficient evidence to determine whether Blue Water Navy Veterans were exposed to Agent Orange-associated herbicides during the Vietnam War. After careful review of the IOM report, the Secretary determines that the evidence available at this time does not support establishing a presumption of exposure to herbicides for Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans. VA will continue to accept and review all Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veteran claims based on herbicide exposure on a case-by-case basis.