This story is part of the 2024 special report, “Ending the Wait for Toxic-Exposed Veterans,” by DAV and MOAA (Military Officers Association of America). Backed by original research and historic analysis, the report shows that toxic-exposed veterans—many of them suffering life-threatening diseases—often have to wait decades to receive access to the full range of health care and benefits they earned and so urgently need. DAV and MOAA offer a blueprint for reforming how our government handles service-related toxic exposures in a way that ensures timely, equitable access to life-saving care and benefits. Learn more at endingthewait.org.

 

Despite ongoing war in Vietnam, 17-year-old Alfred “Al” Lewis Jr. enlisted in the Marine Corps.

He trained in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense and deployed to Phu Bai Combat Base just south of Huế, Vietnam, in 1966. During his deployment, his primary duties were to stand guard at the air base and work in supply.

“I remember watching our planes spray a substance around the base to clear out the jungle,” Lewis explained. “We would end up walking through the substance while on duty at various points of the deployment and thought nothing of it at the time. It wasn’t until years later that we learned that it was Agent Orange and the impact it had on our health.”

Lewis, who retired after 21 years of service, filed a Department of Veterans Affairs disability claim on his own and was granted compensation for hearing loss in one ear and injuries to his knee and back.

In 2012, Lewis retired from his career as an auditor. Less than a year later, he had a heart attack and received treatment at the Loma Linda VA Medical Center in California. During his recovery, a friend from church who happened to be an Air Force veteran told Lewis he should contact DAV to assist him with his disability claim.

Because the VA had adopted new regulations in 2001 to add ischemic heart disease to the Agent Orange presumptive, they were able to file a new claim to establish that Lewis’ heart condition was presumed to be service-connected. The VA subsequently awarded Lewis disability compensation for his heart.

However, the VA denied his claim for hypertension since it was not a presumptive condition at the time of filing.

In 2022, the PACT Act amended the Agent Orange regulations by adding hypertension to the list of covered diseases, allowing Lewis to file a new claim for benefits. In early 2023, Lewis got word that he would finally get the benefits he earned for that condition.

Although it took almost six decades from when he first deployed to Vietnam to get full recognition and justice for his military toxic exposure, Lewis and millions of others like him benefited from the creation and expansion of the Agent Orange presumptive.

The proposals in this report would help to ensure that future toxic-exposed veterans never have to wait that long.