I have been going through a personal journey for the past few months. Without oversharing, I have had a number of health issues for over twenty years related to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Thank goodness for modern medicine since I live a typically active life and still work in a job that is more cerebral than physical.

But one of my work asignments is with the Veterans Service organization within my county government. The leader of that group is an Air Force retired Master Sergeant. He encouraged me to apply under the provisions of the new PACT Act since I have many of the presumptive conditions and I did spend a lot of time in Guam in between patrols. My month in Thailand does not count since there is no official record of my having been there.

Here is the link to the VA web page. One of my readers was stationed on the USS Hunley in her Guam days and he encouraged me to post it.

https://www.va.gov/disability/eligibility/hazardous-materials-exposure/agent-orange/#new-pact-act-related-presumpti

From the website:

Full eligibility requirements

We determine eligibility based on the facts of each Veteran’s claim. But we assume (or “presume”) that certain cancers and other illnesses are caused by Agent Orange. We call these presumptive conditions. And we assume that Veterans who served in certain locations were exposed to Agent Orange. We refer to this as presumptive exposure.

Requirements for Agent Orange presumptive diseases

We consider a condition presumptive when it’s established by law or regulation. If you’ve been diagnosed with one of these conditions, you don’t need to prove that it started during—or got worse because of—your military service.

So far, I have been through two of the three examinations. The last one is this Friday. After that, I wait. The examinations are done by an external service contracted by the VA. This set of rules opened the door for people like me in the most recent legislation:

Or you must have served in at least one of these locations that we’ve added based on the PACT Act:

Any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976, or
Laos from December 1, 1965, through September 30, 1969, or
Cambodia at Mimot or Krek, Kampong Cham Province from April 16, 1969, through April 30, 1969, or
Guam or American Samoa or in the territorial waters off Guam or American Samoa from January 9, 1962, through July 31, 1980, or
Johnston Atoll or on a ship that called at Johnston Atoll from January 1, 1972, through September 30, 1977