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A U.S. Huey helicopter sprays Agent Orange over Vietnam.

News in Brief

The VA Is Finally Being Forced to Pay for Navy Veterans’ Exposure to Agent Orange

A federal court has ruled against the VA and granted aid to Navy veterans suffering from cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses linked to toxic exposure while stationed in Vietnam.

Christopher Jones

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) leaves after a procedural vote on health care on Capitol Hill on July 25th, 2017, in Washington, D.C.

News in Brief

What McCain’s Brain Cancer Tells Us About Vietnam Vets’ Exposure to Agent Orange

The Republican senator never has sought to connect any of his health troubles, including prior bouts with skin cancer, with Agent Orange exposure and has a mixed record when it comes to compensating fellow veterans for wartime exposures.

Charles Ornstein & Mike Hixenbaugh

Touring the Vietnam War Memorial Wall with Dang Thi Hong Nhut during an event bringing together victims of the use of Agent Orange, a defoliant widely used by the U.S military in the war in Vietnam.

News in Brief

Key Veterans Affairs Official Downplays the Risks of Agent Orange

At a meeting in March, a lead analyst in the VA's compensation service was critical of the media, scientists, and the VA's own administrative tribunal for taking positions that differ from his.

Charles Ornstein

News in Brief

The New Study That Could Finally Pressure the VA to Expand Agent Orange Benefits

More than four decades after the end of the Vietnam War, research is still showing the effects of…

Pacific Standard Staff

News in Brief

Taking on the Government’s Agent Orange Expert—and Winning

After the Department of Veterans Affairs rejects his claim for benefits, an Air Force veteran challenges the findings…

Pacific Standard Staff

News in Brief

A Father’s War, a Son’s Toxic Inheritance

Stephen Katz’s estranged father was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Now the photographer wonders if that caused…

Pacific Standard Staff

News in Brief

Playing Politics With Agent Orange

Although veterans advocates say the VA should be guided by science as it makes benefit decisions, documents and…

Pacific Standard Staff

News in Brief

Can Bladder Cancer Be Linked to Agent Orange Exposure?

The Department of Veterans Affairs is evaluating new research as it decides whether to extend benefits to exposed…

Pacific Standard Staff

Social Justice

The Vietnam Veterans Proving They Should Receive Agent Orange Benefits

Neither the Navy nor the Department of Veterans Affairs has a comprehensive list of which ships went where during the Vietnam War. As a result, veterans themselves often have to prove their ships served in areas where Agent Orange was sprayed.

Charles Ornstein & Terry Parris Jr.

News in Brief

The Department of Veterans Affairs Continues to Deny Agent Orange Benefits

A federal court had ordered the VA to re-assess its policy denying Agent Orange benefits to Navy sailors who served in the Vietnam War. The VA's conclusion: They still don't qualify.

Charles Ornstein & Terry Parris Jr.