{"id":81653,"date":"2026-04-27T20:04:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T20:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:35:15","slug":"vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A soldier exposed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/02\/09\/va-to-ease-benefits-rules-for-vets-exposed-to-agent-orange-in-the-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2024\/02\/09\/va-to-ease-benefits-rules-for-vets-exposed-to-agent-orange-in-the-us\/\">Agent Orange<\/a> while serving in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/04\/30\/for-some-americans-the-end-of-the-vietnam-war-is-still-deeply-felt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/military-history\/2025\/04\/30\/for-some-americans-the-end-of-the-vietnam-war-is-still-deeply-felt\/\">Vietnam<\/a> and his daughter have taken the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/04\/07\/trumps-va-budget-request-tops-488-billion-for-fiscal-2027\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/04\/07\/trumps-va-budget-request-tops-488-billion-for-fiscal-2027\/\">Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a> to court over disability benefits for children born with birth defects linked to the toxic herbicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Army telecommunications technician Ronald Christoforo, along with Michele Christoforo, filed suit Monday in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut, alleging that the VA discriminates against thousands of disabled children of Vietnam veterans by providing compensation to those whose mothers served but not their fathers, with one exception: children born with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2015\/06\/24\/vietnam-vets-link-agent-orange-to-children-s-illnesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2015\/06\/24\/vietnam-vets-link-agent-orange-to-children-s-illnesses\/\">spina bifida<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the suit, the Christoforos note that Michele\u2019s birth defect, which causes dwarfism, is specifically covered by the VA for the children of female veterans who served in Vietnam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ronald Christoforo applied for VA Agent Orange-related disability benefits for Michele in 2022 but was denied. According to the suit, the VA told Christoforo that Michele\u2019s mother would have had to serve in Vietnam or Korea to qualify. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Christoforos argue that the decision was unconstitutional because it is based on sex discrimination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen the VA rejected my claim, they didn\u2019t say my condition wasn\u2019t real or that it wasn\u2019t caused by Agent Orange. They said my father\u2019s service didn\u2019t count the same as a mother\u2019s would. How\u202fcan that be legal?\u201d Michele Christoforo said in a statement Monday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the suit, roughly 200 children were born with birth defects to female Vietnam veterans, while an estimated 350,000 children of fathers who served have birth defects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The VA began awarding disability benefits to the children of Vietnam veterans born with spina bifida in 1996, and four years later, expanded the list of eligible conditions for the children of women Vietnam veterans to 18. The expanded list includes achondroplasia, the defect that caused Michele Christoforo\u2019s dwarfism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Christoforos, represented by Yale Law School\u2019s Veterans Legal Services <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2025\/06\/09\/transgender-vet-sues-va-over-decision-to-halt-hormone-therapy-meds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2025\/06\/09\/transgender-vet-sues-va-over-decision-to-halt-hormone-therapy-meds\/\">Clinic<\/a>, want the courts to declare the VA\u2019s sex-based disability awards as unconstitutional and provide disability benefits to all children who qualify, regardless of whether their mother or father served in Vietnam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll other circumstances equal, if Mr. Christoforo were female, he could rely on the benefits provided under [the law] to ensure his child would receive the medical care, educational benefits and income support she needs. The only difference in his ability to have this assurance is his sex,\u201d the lawsuit noted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has sponsored <a href=\"https:\/\/www.veterans.senate.gov\/2025\/6\/blumenthal-murray-lead-effort-to-jumpstart-groundbreaking-research-for-children-of-toxic-exposed-veterans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.veterans.senate.gov\/2025\/6\/blumenthal-murray-lead-effort-to-jumpstart-groundbreaking-research-for-children-of-toxic-exposed-veterans\">legislation<\/a> that would increase research on birth defects in veterans exposed to environmental pollutants, such as Agent Orange and the burn pits used in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere to dispose of waste. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, Blumenthal said children with a disability related to their parent\u2019s service-connected exposure \u201cdeserve equal benefits without exception.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMichele\u2019s condition is real, her father\u2019s service is unquestionable, and the damage caused by Agent Orange is well-documented. Denying her VA benefits solely because her father served rather than her mother is both unjust and cruel,\u201d Blumenthal said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Linda Schwartz, a Vietnam veteran and adviser to Vietnam Veterans of America, added that research does not \u201cjustify this distinction\u201d between maternal or paternal exposure and birth defects and she supports the suit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur members came home from Vietnam carrying wounds that didn\u2019t always show up right away, and some of those wounds were passed on to their children. \u2026 It is long past time it does the same for the children of the men who served alongside them,\u201d Schwartz said in a statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agent Orange is the name given to defoliants used in Vietnam and elsewhere to strip combat zones of vegetation that could be used by enemy forces for camouflage. The herbicides contain a type of dioxin that is a known carcinogen linked to cancers, chronic conditions and birth defects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Justice Department, which represents the VA, did not respond to a request for comment by publication. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The VA provides disability compensation for birth defects to the children of women Vietnam veterans, but not to the children of men who served in the war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":94365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,157,79,26,15,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3244],"class_list":["post-81653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-health-care-benefits","category-military-benefits","category-newsletters","category-pay-benefits","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"D6EPBNZ4ZZDFVPJJMEKSGTFIJM","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The VA provides disability compensation for birth defects to the children of women Vietnam veterans, but not to the children of men who served in the war.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The VA provides disability compensation for birth defects to the children of women Vietnam veterans, but not to the children of men who served in the war.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-27T20:04:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T17:35:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Patricia Kime\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Patricia Kime\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-04-27T20:04:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:35:15+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 652,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Health Care\",\n\t                \"Military Benefits\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Pay &amp; Benefits\",\n\t                \"Veterans\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-04-27T20:04:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:35:15+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The VA provides disability compensation for birth defects to the children of women Vietnam veterans, but not to the children of men who served in the war.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/27\\\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits - Navy Times","description":"The VA provides disability compensation for birth defects to the children of women Vietnam veterans, but not to the children of men who served in the war.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits","og_description":"The VA provides disability compensation for birth defects to the children of women Vietnam veterans, but not to the children of men who served in the war.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2026-04-27T20:04:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T17:35:15+00:00","author":"Patricia Kime","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Patricia Kime","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits","datePublished":"2026-04-27T20:04:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:35:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/"},"wordCount":652,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Health Care","Military Benefits","Newsletters","Pay &amp; Benefits","Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/","name":"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-27T20:04:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:35:15+00:00","description":"The VA provides disability compensation for birth defects to the children of women Vietnam veterans, but not to the children of men who served in the war.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2026\/04\/27\/vietnam-veteran-daughter-sue-va-over-agent-orange-birth-defect-benefits\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Vietnam veteran, daughter sue VA over Agent Orange birth defect benefits"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18026654629891.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81653"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81668,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81653\/revisions\/81668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81653"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=81653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}