My Agent Orange benefits don't go back as far as they should. What should I do?
The effective dates for Agent Orange exposure under Nehmer are complicated and, unfortunately, the VA often gets it wrong. Let our attorney analyze your “effective date”, the date your benefits began, to see if you have grounds for pursuing back benefits.
Example: Vietnam veteran is diagnosed with one of the diseases listed by the VAas presumptive AO illnesses that are disabling to a degree of 10 percent or more. Thereafter, the veteran files a disability claim for this disease on January 1, 1986. The claim is denied by the RO in 1986. The veteran files a second disability claim for this disease in 2011, which the VA grants. The correct effective date for the award of disability compensation is January 1, 1986—25 years before the second disability claim.