Air force reservists and active-duty forces exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War are finally getting disability benefits, the Associated Press reports. The expected cost over the next 10 years is $47.5 million, approved Thursday morning by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Exposure to Agent Orange, which was used as an herbicide during the war, formerly only allowed benefits for troops who were on the ground or served in inland waterways. The new federal rule still will not cover 200,000 "Blue Water" vets who were exposed to the chemical on board deep-water naval vessels, due to the Department of Veterans Affairs' citation of weaker scientific evidence.
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