If you are a Vietnam Veteran, you may qualify for Presumptive Disability Benefits if you are diagnosed with the following:
(Click on a diagnosis for more information)
Caused by the accumulation of an immunoglobulin light chain protein. Typically, the protein is caused by malignant or pre-malignant growth of identical, (clonal) lymphocytes or plasma cells that continue to produce these immunoglobulin light chain proteins.
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Cancer that affects your “B lymphocytes” — white blood cells that grow in the soft center of your bones, called marrow.
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Cancer that begins in the bladder. This cancer typically affects older adults. It’s usually diagnosed early when it’s still treatable. It’s likely to recur, so follow-up tests are typically recommended.
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Symptoms:
- Blood in the urine
Treatment:
- Surgery
- Biological therapy
- Chemotherapy
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A type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow.
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Symptoms:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Fatigue
- Easy bruising
Treatment:
- Chemotherapy
- Stem-cell transplant is used in rare scenarios for aggressive cases
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Cancer of the part of the immune system called the lymphatic system. As the cancer progresses, it limits the body’s ability to fight infection. Lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, or groin may swell.
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Symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Chills
Treatment:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- In rare cases stem-cell transplant.
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A condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism’s deficiency of thyroid hormones can disrupt such things as heart rate, body temperature, and all aspects of metabolism. Hypothyroidism is most prevalent in older women.
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- Fatigue
- Cold sensitivity
- Constipation
- dry skin
- Unexplained weight gain
Treatment:
- Thyroid hormone replacement
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Damage or disease in the heart’s major blood vessels. The usual cause is the buildup of plaque. This causes coronary arteries to narrow, limiting blood flow to the heart.
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Symptoms:
- No symptoms
- Chest pain
- A heart attack
Treatment:
- Lifestyle changes
- Medications
- Angioplasty
- Surgery
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Cancer that starts in the lymphatic system. The condition occurs when the body produces too many abnormal lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.
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Symptoms:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Fever
- Belly pain
- Chest pain
Treatment:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Stem-cell transplant
- Medications
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A disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, often including tremors. Nerve cell damage in the brain causes dopamine levels to drop, leading to the symptoms of Parkinson’s.
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Symptoms:
- Tremors
- Slow movement
- Stiffness
- Loss of balance
Treatment:
- Medication
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Any condition that causes a combination of the movement abnormalities seen in Parkinson’s disease. such as tremor, slow movement, impaired speech, or muscle stiffness — especially resulting from the loss of dopamine-containing nerve cells (neurons).
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Symptoms:
- Tremors
- Slow movement
- Stiffness
- Loss of balance
Treatment:
- Medication
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Cancer is a man’s prostate, a small walnut-sized gland that produces seminal fluid. A man’s prostate produces the seminal fluid that nourishes and transports sperm.
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Symptoms:
- Difficulty with urination
- Sometimes there are no symptoms
Treatment:
- Radiation
- Surgery
- Hormone therapy
- Chemotherapy
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Cancer that begins in the lungs and most often occurs in people who smoke. Two major types of lung cancer are non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Causes of lung cancer include smoking, secondhand smoke, exposure to certain toxins, and family history.
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Symptoms:
- Cough (often with blood)
- Chest pain
- Wheezing
- Weight loss
Treatment:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Targeted drug therapy
- Immunotherapy
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A broad term for cancers that start in soft tissues (muscle, tendons, fat, lymph and blood vessels, and nerves). These cancers can develop anywhere in the body but are found mostly in the arms, legs, chest, and abdomen.
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Symptoms:
- A noticeable lump or swelling
- Pain, if a tumor presses on nerves or muscles
Treatment:
- Surgical removal
- Radiation/chemotherapy
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A chronic condition that affects the way the body processes blood sugar (glucose). With type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or resists insulin.
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Symptoms:
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Hunger
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- In some cases, there may be no symptoms
Treatment:
- Diet
- Exercise
- Medication
- Insulin therapy
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The following conditions, if they become greater than 10% debilitating within a year of exposure to an herbicide agent:
Weakness, numbness, and pain from nerve damage, usually in the hands and feet. A common cause of peripheral neuropathy is diabetes, but it can also result from injuries, infections, and exposure to toxins.
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Symptoms:
- Pain
- Pins-and-needles sensation
- Numbness
- Weakness
Treatment:
- Antidepressants like amitriptyline
- Pain medications like oxycodone
- Anti-seizure medications
- Pain-relieving creams
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A rare skin eruption of blackheads, cysts, and nodules, which has been linked directly to dioxin exposure. Mild forms may resemble teenage acne. Physicians sometimes have difficulty distinguishing chloracne from more common skin disorders.
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Symptoms:
- Excessive oiliness of the skin
- Numerous blackheads
- Fluid-filled cysts and dark body hair
- Open sores and permanent scars
Treatment:
- Consult a dermatologist
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A rare disorder characterized by painful, blistering skin lesions that develop on sun-exposed skin (photosensitivity). Affected skin is fragile and may peel or blister after minor trauma. Liver abnormalities may also occur.
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Symptoms:
- Increased hair growth, usually on the face
- Crusting and scarring of the skin
- Redness, swelling, or itching of the skin
- Sores developing after minor injuries to the skin
- Hyperpigmentation, which means patches of skin become darker
- Urine that is darker than normal or reddish-brown
- Liver damage
Treatment:
- Phlebotomy, which is the removal of blood to reduce iron
- Chloroquine (Aralen)
- Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)
- Pain medications
- Iron chelators
- Treating the diseases that cause the porphyria cutanea tarda, such as HCV or HIV
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Presumptive Conditions:
Click on the group you fall under to see if you qualify for benefits.
How To Get Presumptive Disability Benefits
We hope this guide provides a better understanding of what the Presumptive Conditions for Vietnam Veterans are. If you served in Vietnam, you might be entitled to compensation. File a presumptive claim to get the benefits you deserve.
If you or a Veteran you know needs help to develop a claim strategy, Contact Veteran Ratings. Veteran Ratings has a 95% chance of success in acquiring the rating and benefits you deserve.
Have a question? On the fence? Contact us for more information. We are here for you — we proudly serve those who served. Veterans are our only priority because they made this the land of the free through their bravery and sacrifice.
What Are Presumptive Conditions?
To understand what Presumptive Conditions are, you should know the limits the Department of Veterans Affairs places on Veterans. The VA has strict rules that limit whether or not a Veteran receives disability compensation. All disabilities must have a proven and clear connection to your time in service. Therefore, if you can not provide proof, the VA will deny your disability claim.
However, depending on your period of service, deployment history, and disability, you may qualify for automatic compensation. According to the VA, this means you may be eligible to receive Presumptive Disability Benefits because they presume that specific disabilities were a direct result of military service. To clarify, there is no need to provide any proof that a particular disability is service-connected, and it does not need to appear in your service medical records.
Even if these Presumptive Conditions appear after your time in the military, you are still entitled to compensation. For some (but not all) of these disabilities, symptoms must occur within one year after your military discharge. In addition, you must have served for a minimum of 90 days, and a VA disability rating of at least 10%.
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