Overview
The adverse effects of Agent Orange and other chemicals on Veterans' health extend to their children, for whom the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers specific benefits.
Eligibility
Children with Spina Bifida
Biological children of Veterans who served in specific locations during the Vietnam War may receive tax-free monthly compensation from the VA if diagnosed with any form of spina bifida, excluding spina bifida occulta. To qualify, conception must have occurred after the parent entered Vietnam, Thailand, or the Korean DMZ within specified time frames.
To qualify, the child must have been conceived after the birth father or mother first entered Vietnam or Thailand between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975, or after the birth father or mother first entered the Korean DMZ between September 1, 1967, and August 31, 1971.
Children of Women Who Served In Vietnam
Biological children of women who served in Vietnam between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975, may receive tax-free monthly compensation for certain medical conditions. The VA offers benefits for various congenital conditions if conception occurred after the mother entered Vietnam within the qualifying time frame.
Conditions include:
- Achondroplasia
- Cleft lip and cleft palate
- Congenital heart disease
- Congenital talipes equinovarus (“clubfoot”)
- Esophageal and intestinal atresia
- Hallerman-Streiff syndrome
- Hip dysplasia
- Hirschprung's disease (congenital megacolon)
- Hydrocephalus due to aqueductal stenosis
- Hypospadias
- Imperforate anus
- Neural tube defects
- Poland syndrome
- Pyloric stenosis
- Syndactyly (fused digits)
- Tracheoesophageal fistula
- Undescended testicle
- Williams syndrome
Apply
Our Veterans Benefits Advisors provide free representation for Vietnam War Veterans' children in disability compensation, VA-covered healthcare, and vocational rehabilitation claims and appeals. Contact us at 1-888-838-7697 for an appointment with a nearby Veterans Benefits Advisor.
Contact Assistance
If you need assistance, or just want to learn more about the benefits and services you may be eligible for, schedule an appointment with one of our Veterans Benefits Advisors, all Veterans themselves.
- Call 1-888-838-7697 to speak to an advisor.
- Schedule a phone or video consultation online.
- Use our search to find a Services Office near you.