The law will extend benefits to Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act into law on Tuesday.

The law will extend benefits to Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans who served aboard ships off the Vietnam coastline during the war and were exposed to the toxic chemical Agent Orange. Until recently, the Blue Water veterans were not eligible for the same disability benefits as those who served inside Vietnam itself.

In January of 2019, the Federal Circuit overturned VA’s interpretation of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 in the case of Procopio v. Wilkie, ruling that the “Republic of Vietnam” included Vietnam’s territorial seas. While the court’s ruling made some Blue Water Navy Vietnam veterans eligible for the presumption of service-connection for Agent Orange exposure, it did not define territorial seas.

The new law defines Vietnam’s offshore waters - which encompass the territorial seas - and ensure that the Blue Water Navy Vietnam veterans who were potentially exposed to Agent Orange during their service are eligible for a presumption of service-connection by VA for such exposure.