Agent Orange Presumptive Conditions and Exposure Locations

Agent Orange was the tactical herbicide sprayed to clear vegetation during the Vietnam War. The health effects surfaced for decades afterward, so VA built a presumptive system: for the listed conditions, a veteran with qualifying service does not have to prove the herbicide caused the disease. The regulations are 38 CFR 3.309(e) for the condition list and 38 CFR 3.307 for the exposure presumption.

The list and locations below were verified against VA’s Agent Orange page on July 9, 2026. This list has grown several times in recent years, so confirm the current version on the linked VA page before you file.

The presumptive conditions

VA currently recognizes these as presumptively linked to herbicide exposure.

Cancers: bladder cancer, chronic B-cell leukemias, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers (including lung cancer), and some soft-tissue sarcomas.

Other conditions: AL amyloidosis, chloracne (or a similar acneform disease), type 2 diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure (hypertension), hypothyroidism, ischemic heart disease, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), Parkinsonism, Parkinson’s disease, early-onset peripheral neuropathy, and porphyria cutanea tarda.

Two of these are recent. High blood pressure and MGUS were added by the PACT Act for herbicide-exposed veterans, which is why an older denial for hypertension is worth revisiting. Note the boundary VA draws on the heart: ischemic heart disease is presumptive, but the term does not include hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, or stroke.

Where and when exposure is presumed

The core presumption covers service in the Republic of Vietnam for any length of time between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975. Under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6), that includes service aboard a vessel operating on Vietnam’s inland waterways and, since the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, service aboard a ship operating no more than 12 nautical miles seaward of Vietnam.

VA also presumes exposure for these locations and windows:

• Korean DMZ: service between September 1, 1967 and August 31, 1971.
• Thailand: service from January 9, 1962 through June 30, 1976.
• Laos: service from December 1, 1965 through September 30, 1969.
• Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province: April 16 through April 30, 1969.
• Guam or American Samoa (or their territorial waters): January 9, 1962 through July 31, 1980.
• Johnston Atoll (or on a ship that called there): January 1, 1972 through September 30, 1977.

The Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll windows were added or expanded by the PACT Act. If a prior claim was denied because your location was not covered at the time, the law has changed under you.

How the presumption works with your diagnosis

Under 38 CFR 3.307(a)(6)(ii), a listed disease generally must become manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more at any time after service. Three conditions are the exception, chloracne, porphyria cutanea tarda, and early-onset peripheral neuropathy, which must appear within a year of the last exposure. Everything else can surface decades later and still qualify.

How to file or refile

File on VA Form 21-526EZ. You do not submit a nexus opinion for a presumptive claim; you show qualifying service (your DD-214 and service records) and a current diagnosis. If VA denied a herbicide claim before the condition or your location was added, file a Supplemental Claim (VA Form 20-0995), because the change in law is a basis to readjudicate.

A granted condition is rated on the schedule and then combined with any other ratings you carry, which is never plain addition. Run it on the combined-rating calculator and see what it pays on the rate tables. To set the earliest possible start date, file an intent to file (VA Form 21-0966) before you submit. A free VA-accredited representative or VSO can confirm your service fits a presumptive location before you file. VA’s page is the Agent Orange eligibility page.