The Blue Water Navy Act of 2019 will take effect on January 1, 2020. Veterans and surviving spouses can file claims at any time and they will be decided after the law is implemented.
You may be able to get disability benefits if the following is true:
You have an illness caused by Agent Orange (called a presumptive disease)
And at least one of these must also be true:
Your military record must show that between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, you:
- Were aboard a U.S. military vessel that operated in the inland waterways of Vietnam, or
- Served on a vessel not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia (as detailed in Public Law 116-23, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019)
Who’s covered?
-Veterans
-Qualified dependents
Click Blue Water Navy Fact Sheet for more information.
Please call the Veteran Service Office at 336-242-2037 to schedule an appointment to file for these benefits.