The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science published a significant Report in 2000, with follow-up updates in 2002 and 2004 entitled, “Veterans and Agent Orange: Herbicide/Dioxin Exposure and Type 2 Diabetes.”
These reports found documentary evidence of an association between exposure to herbicides, such as Agent Orange, and Type 2 diabetes.
Finally, the passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2023, addressed that issue.
Now, veterans who were potentially exposed to Agent Orange, or other herbicides, during their military service do not have to prove a direct connection between their diabetes and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.
Prior to the PACT Act, to obtain a Disability Rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the veteran must align their disability to their military service. For many health conditions, the veteran needed, in the past, to prove that the veteran’s service caused the medical condition.
However, for some medical conditions, the VA automatically “assume” or “presume” that the medical condition was caused by the veteran’s military service. VA considers them as “presumptive conditions.” The VA considers a condition “presumptive” when it is established by law or regulation.
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that keeps a body from turning food into energy. Veterans who have Type 2 diabetes are often feeling tired and run-down. The key to managing diabetes is controlling the level of sugar in a veteran’s bloodstream.
Poorly controlled diabetes can result in severe medical complications including diabetic nerve damage, heart disease, kidney failure, and vision loss.
Approximately half of the veterans diagnosed with diabetes have some form of nerve damage in the upper and lower extremities. That damage is called neuropathy and, although painful, can also result in a loss of protection sensation.
Diabetic neuropathy is a common problem of diabetes. It usually develops slowly, sometimes it may take decades. It most often damages the nerves in a veteran’s feet.
Depending on the affected nerves, symptoms of diabetic neuropathy can range from tingling and numbness in legs and feet to problems with the digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels and heart.
For some veterans, diabetic neuropathy can be discomforting or painful and, in some cases, disabling. Another common type is called peripheral neuropathy which causes total loss of feeling in the toes, feet, hands, and arms.
Another type of neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy can cause changes in your digestion, bowel and bladder function and perspiration. It can also affect nerves in the lungs, eyes, and heart.
Other signs of diabetic nerve damage include muscle weakness, diarrhea, indigestion, dizziness or fainting, urination, and a drop in blood pressure after standing or sitting up.
My Opinion: Veterans who have served where herbicides, such as Agent Orange, were sprayed are more than likely to develop Type 2 diabetes or worse.
If you feel you have some of the symptoms related to diabetes, you should contact the VA immediately, even though you may not be currently enrolled in the VA Health Care System. Veterans may be eligible for a free VA Agent Orange Registry Health Examination.
Type 2 Diabetes is a “presumptive” condition of Exposure to Agent Orange. Veterans do not have to prove any direct connection. This was done by the PACT Act.
Veterans, who were exposed to Agent Orange, have an obligation not only to themselves but to their spouses and families to get tested by the VA to determine if they are impacted by Type 2 diabetes. The keys to preventing diabetes or slowing down its progress are tight blood sugar control and a healthy lifestyle.
The VA already has established medical programs in place to combat the development and spread of diabetes, but veterans must take the first steps and contact the VA to discuss their symptoms.
Developing a treatment plan with the VA is the main goal. This VA treatment plan may include taking certain medications and monitoring blood sugars.
Congress has already done the legislative hard part by having Type 2 diabetes defined as a “presumptive condition.”
If you were exposed to Agent Orange or any herbicide during your military service and feel you have some of the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, you should contact the VA immediately for the Agent Orange Registry Health Examination.
BioSketch: John Plahovinsak is a 32-year retired Army veteran, who served from 1967 to 1999. He was exposed to Agent Orange in 1968-69 and was later diagnosed by the VA for Type 2 diabetes. He is the current Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Ohio Hospital Chairman and Adjutant of DAV Chapter #63 (Clermont County). He can be contacted at: plahovinsak@msn.com.