Dear editor, the Department of Veterans Affairs is considering adding hypertension to the list of conditions presumed to be a consequence of exposure to Agent Orange.

Veterans who have been diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) and who served on shore or in the inland waterways of Vietnam are urged to file a claim for compensation from the VA, as are vets who served at the DMZ in Korea from April 1968 through July 1969, or who had direct exposure to the herbicide.

The VA has started taking claims for hypertension related to Agent Orange exposure, but it will determine at a later date whether the claims will be honored as being military “service-related.”

The VA currently presumes the following conditions to be related to exposure to Agent Orange:

Respiratory cancers (cancer of the lung, bronchus, larynx, or trachea); prostate cancer; diabetes mellitus; soft-tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma or mesothelioma); Hodgkin’s disease; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; chloracne or other acne-form disease consistent with chloracne (must occur within one year of exposure to Agent Orange); acute and sub-acute peripheral neuropathy; porphyria cutanea tarda (must occur within one year of exposure to Agent Orange).

With a diagnosis for any of the above conditions, the VA can grant “service connection” and may compensate based on the severity of the condition. Monetary compensation ranges from $117 to $2,650 per month, higher in some instances. Other benefits can include automatic eligibility for enrollment in VA health care.

Surviving spouses of veterans whose death was caused or hastened by any of the above conditions may also be eligible for benefits from the VA.

The Napa County Veterans Service Office can help all veterans and their dependents with VA claims, at no charge. Appointments are available by calling 253-3818.

Patrick Jolly

Napa