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Agent Orange and AL AmyloidosisAL Amyloidosis Added to Agent Orange Presumptive Disabilities n The Department of Veterans Affairs has added AL amyloi-dosis to the list of presumptive service-connected diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents, includ-ing Agent Orange. A recent Institute of Medicine report on Agent Orange found a positive association between the disease and ex-posure to herbicides used during the Vietnam War. As a result, the VA has amended regulations to grant presumptive service-connection for Vietnam veterans with the disease. AL amyloidosis disability claims pending before or received after May 7, 2009, may be granted presumptive service-connection. The rule also applies to previously denied claims of AL amyloidosis submitted by Vietnam veterans. AL amyloidosis is a rare plasma cell disorder which originates in bone marrow and is usually treated with chemotherapy. It is the most common type of amyloidosis in the U.S., with an estimated 2,000 cases diagnosed each year. The disease results when protein build up in one or more organs causes mal-function. The heart, kidneys, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract are most often affected. Although AL amyloidosis is not cancer, it is very serious, and disabling or life-threatening. It joins the list of 11 other presumptively service- connection conditions recognized in Vietnam veterans. They include chloracne; Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; soft tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma); Hodgkin's disease; porphyria cutanea tarda; multiple myeloma; respiratory cancers, including cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus; prostate cancer; acute and subacute transient peripheral neuropathy; Type 2 diabetes; and chronic lym-phocytic leukemia. For additional information, please contact your nearest National Service Office. |