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Veterans Agent Orange Exposure & Dementia

SDianeL
SDianeL Member Posts: 887
500 Care Reactions 250 Likes 500 Comments 100 Insightfuls Reactions
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My husband is a USMC Vietnam Veteran, 100% disabled for other service related conditions due to Agent Orange exposure. He was also diagnosed 2 years ago with Dementia. I found this information and it may help veterans diagnosed with Dementia get help from the VA.

"Is dementia linked to Agent Orange? In a nationally representative sample of more than 300 000 veterans of the Vietnam era, we found that exposure to Agent Orange was associated with approximately a 2-fold increased risk of being diagnosed with incident dementia and an earlier age of dementia diagnosis. From the National Institutes of Health (government)."

Although Dementia is not on the presumptive list, you can still file a claim if the veteran served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange. Getting a disability rating from the VA entitles your veteran and spouse/caregiver many benefits including respite care. Ratings range from 0% to 100% based on the stage of memory loss. For assistance, look for a Veteran Service Officer in your county. They are not paid by the VA. You can usually find them at American Legions or VFW. Freedom Isn't Free.

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Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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