Hello! Welcome to Legal Tip Tuesday. I’m Michael Quatrini here in the Pittsburgh Office today. A happy 2021 to all of you. Today’s discussion is going to be about a new part of the veteran’s Disability law that is beneficial to Vietnam veterans. With the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act, three new diseases have been added to the Agent Orange presumptive list.

They include hypothyroidism, bladder cancer, and Parkinson’s-like syndromes. What this means is that if you, as a Vietnam Veteran, have any of these conditions, you’ll be able to apply for benefits and be immediately rated given that you no longer have to prove that those conditions are related to your Agent Orange exposure. If you’ve applied for these conditions in the past and been denied, you’ll have to reapply and then have the VA make a decision. The VA won’t call you make sure you get ahead of it and call them. Parkinson’s like syndrome is a very interesting part of the condition list.

It’s not actually a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, but has similar features something that a lot of Agent Orange Veterans have experienced or have been treated for over time. Obviously if you have any questions about these new conditions or the process to start your application or appeal for benefits, please call us immediately. Michael Quatrini for Legal Tip Tuesday. Thank you.