Brown Water Veterans Can Get Benefits
I was contacted by a Vietnam Navy veteran and encouraged me to write about brown water veterans and the Veterans Administration (VA). Brown water veterans are Vietnam War veterans that served on vessels and never officially set foot on Vietnamese soil. They served on ships that operated on the coast or inland deltas of Vietnam. To most of society brown water veterans service in Vietnam is a no brainer and deserve their benefits. It took until 1991 for congress to passed a law requiring the VA to cover all illnesses directly related to Agent orange exposure in Vietnam, this included brown water veterans. This allowed brown water veterans to finally file for compensation for disabilities connected to Agent Orange.
In 2002 the George W. Bush administration changed the rules for military veterans concerning Agent Orange and their brown water service. It required veterans who filed for Agent Orange compensation to meet the “boots on the ground” rule established by the administration and passed by congress. With the change in the rule a veteran had to step foot in Vietnam in order to meet the Agent Orange requirement. This was problematic for some veterans because the never “officially” set foot on Vietnamese soil. Because of this ruling the George W. Bush administration stripped Navy personnel who had been receiving compensation unless they could prove they met the boots on the ground requirement.
In August 2006 The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veteran Claims decided the Veterans Affairs requirement for “boots on the ground” as the definition of “service in the Republic of Vietnam” is unreasonable, and does not align with Congress's intent. This meant that any “brown water veteran” who served in Vietnam may be eligible for benefits. Many brown water veterans have given up on applying for benefits. Its time they rethink their strategies and reapply if they are eligible.
There are ways to prove you served in a brown water area. One of those is the deck logs of the vessels you served on. Once Senator Akaka from Hawaii found out about the brown water veteran’s situation and summoned his staff to investigate the denial of their claims. Senator Akaka’s staff’s research found from 150 to 170 Navy vessels that were presumed to be exposed to Agent Orange because they operated off the coast or in Vietnamese waters. This list was sent to the veteran’s affairs office for review. Senator Akaka’s staff also found many cases in which the VA regional offices did not request the deck logs from the National Archives of those filing an Agent Orange claim. These deck logs would have produced the needed information to accept the claim of these veterans.
Senator Akaka who was serving as the chairman of the Senate Affairs Committee asked the VA to take another look at the Navy Veterans claims who served in Vietnams rivers, inland waterways, or docked in Vietnam. According to the information Senator Akaka’s staff found these veterans should be presumed to have Agent Orange exposure entitling them to compensation if they met the medical criteria set by the VA. The US Navy confirmed Navy veterans who submitted deck logs with their claims should see faster results. With proof of service in Vietnam’s inland waters or time on shore, “the only issue is, ‘What disability do you have?’ and ‘What’s the current level of (that) disability?”
With the VA backlog it will speed up the process if the veterans advocate or the veteran themselves comb the deck logs of the ships to find the needed information. The easiest way to support your Agent Orange claim is to show you were on a ship that meets the criteria. It is crucial that there is proof in your VA Claims File (C-File) that you were on that vessel during the time in question. Make sure you get a copy of your C-File for your records (the VA has been known to lose paperwork in their bureaucracy). If your ship is not on the DOD list, you can request the deck logs of your ship from the Naval or National Archives. These logs should be able to confirm the dates and times of the missions of that ship. From those deck logs brown water veterans should be able to find information that will validate your claim.
Some veterans feel it is not worth the time to dig through the paperwork needed to support their claim. My question is, can you use an extra $133.00 at 10% disability up to $3000.00 at 100% disability per month. One major reason for you to research your own deck log information is according to my sources, the personnel at the claims department have little or no medical experience and don’t spend the time needed to help you with your claim. They are just overwhelmed.
If the military caused your disability you have earned the right to receive disability compensation. Brown water veterans have been left out of the Agent Orange conversation for years. It took a US Army veteran congressman to work toward getting Naval brown water veterans Agent Orange compensation approved. If you are a veteran and having medical issues centered around Agent Orange I challenge you to file a claim for what your government did to you without your knowledge.
The Following is a list of medical issues caused by Agent Orange exposure
Chloracne (or similar acneform disease)
Ischemic Heart Disease
Multiple Myeloma
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Parkinson's Disease
Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
Respiratory Cancers (includes lung cancer)
For questions or comments, I can be reached at bo@afterdutyvets.com or visit our website at afterdutyvets.com.