VA Answers Basic Questions About C-123 Agent Orange Claims! Hotline=1(800) 749-8387

July 2 - phone number the hotline is corrected here
 and is actually 1(800) 749-8387

A very kind response from Veterans Benefits Administration leadership! We asked for clear and simple instructions for our folks to follow and VBA just emailed us exactly that. Here's the scoop...read carefully and get those claims in if you have what you believe to be one of the Agent Orange-related illnesses. 

Thank you, VA!  (HOTLINE NUMBER CORRECTED HERE!)

Specific claim situations:

a. no claims submitted yet 

Veterans with disability they believe is caused by Agent Orange exposure should file a claim for service-connected benefits on VA Form 21-526EZ (available at your local regional benefits office, through a Veterans Service Officer (VSO), or online athttp://www.va.gov/vaforms/ or file a claim online at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/. 

Survivors whose spouses died from Agent Orange related disease should file a claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation on VA Form 21-534EZ (available at your local regional benefits office, through a VSO, or online at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/. 

b. claims submitted no decision

If you already informed VA that this was a C-123 claim, you should just sit tight while we resolve the claim.  We generally work claims on a first in, first out basis, so if your claim has been pending six months or more, it should be near the top of our list.  If VA is not already aware that your claim is C-123 related, you should contact your VSO or call us at 1 (800) 749-8387 and request that we add that notation to your file and route your claim to the St. Paul, MN regional office.

c. claims denied not yet appealed

If you believe VA’s decision was wrong, initiate an appeal on VA Form 21-0958, Notice of Disagreement, available through your VSO and online at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/.  You have one year from the date we notify you of our decision to file an appeal that may protect the effective date.  After one year, you will have to file a reopened claim.  The process to reopen is the same as described under “no claim submitted yet”, but usually requires new and material evidence.  Because of the rule change, VA will consider the reopened claim even if you don’t have additional evidence.

d. claims denied and appealed

If the appeal is currently pending at a regional office or the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA), you should make sure that VA is knows this is a C-123 claim.  If you’re not sure, you should contact your VSO or call us at 1 (800) 749-8387 and request that we add that notation to your file.  If your appeal is still at the regional office and you have more evidence to submit, mail it to the regional office intake address below. 

If you’re unsure where your appeal is inside VA, you can send evidence and information to either of the addresses and we will locate the file and forward the new evidence for consideration.

e. claims appealed, denied

If the claim was appealed and the appeal was denied, you can submit a reopened claim.  VBA requires new and material evidence to reopen a denied claim, but in this case the rule change is sufficient to reopen your claim. 

Veterans with disability they believe is caused by Agent Orange exposure should file a claim for service-connected benefits on VA Form 21-526EZ (available at your local regional benefits office, through a VSO, or online at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/) or file a claim online at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/. 

Survivors whose spouses died from Agent Orange related disease should file a claim for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation on VA Form 21-534EZ (available at your local regional benefits office, through a VSO, or online at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/). 

f. anything else?

I think we’ve covered all the bases, but we’re happy to answer any questions you or other C-123 Air, ground maintenance, and aeromedical crewmembers have.  If someone needs individualized advice on their claim, they should call 1 (800) 749-8387 and the experts will help sort out the issues.

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Survivors should file reopened claims on VA Form 21-534EZ (available at your local regional benefits office, through a VSO, or online at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/).  If they’re experiencing extreme financial hardship or fall into any of the other categories below, they should inform us and provide whatever supporting evidence they have.  Evidence that would support a finding of financial hardship, and allow us to move their claims to the head of the line, include things like

• an eviction notice or statement of foreclosure
• past due utilities notices, and/or
• collection notices from creditors.

If they need help, they should work through a Veterans Service Organization or call the specialized C-123 claim processors at 1 (800) 749-8387.  They can also call VA’s primary claims help and information line at 1 (800) 827-1000.

Our response...Good job, VA! Thanks!