
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 19, 1995                   TAG: 9501190107
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-11   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

BENEFITS STILL AVAILABLE FOR AGENT ORANGE

Vietnam veterans still can get Agent Orange benefits from the government despite a court decision denying further claims for compensation from a private fund, a veterans' group said Wednesday.

The Vietnam Veterans of America said it was launching a national campaign to make veterans aware that benefits were still available through the Veterans Affairs Department.

A federal judge in New York last month set a Tuesday deadline for veterans and their families to apply for payment from a multimillion-dollar fund set up in a 1984 settlement with manufacturers of the toxic chemical.

The original deadline was Dec. 31, but U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein extended that until Jan. 17 when Aetna Insurance Co., which is administering the fund, was flooded with thousands of phone calls from veterans trying to meet the deadline.

The VA provides medical treatment and payments for various cancers and other diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant used during the Vietnam War to make it difficult for the enemy to hide and find food.

The department pays benefits of up to $1,823 per month for veterans rated 100 percent disabled.

by CNB