Group of Vietnam vets finally receive benefits for illnesses linked to Agent Orange

WASHINGTON (WTVB) – A group of Vietnam vets will finally get benefits for illnesses related to their exposure to Agent Orange. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said this week it’s making benefits available to Air Force members who flew in C-123 aircraft after they were used to spray the toxic chemical in Vietnam.  The “Military Times” says the move could provide health care and disability payments to over two-thousand former service members.  A report earlier this year by the Institute of Medicine concluded that the veterans were exposed to Agent Orange while flying the aircraft.  The VA had insisted for years that trace amounts of Agent Orange on aircraft surfaces could not be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.