Fed Regist. 2018 Oct 22;83(204):53179-82.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is adopting as final an interim final rule published on June 19, 2015, to amend its adjudication regulation governing individuals presumed to have been exposed to certain herbicides. Specifically, VA expanded the regulation to include an additional group consisting of individuals who performed service in the Air Force or Air Force Reserve under circumstances in which they had regular and repeated contact with C-123 aircraft known to have been used to spray an herbicide agent ("Agent Orange") during the Vietnam era. In addition, the regulation established a presumption that members of this group who later develop an Agent Orange presumptive condition were disabled during the relevant period of service, thus establishing that service as "active military, naval, or air service." The effect of this action is to presume herbicide exposure for these individuals and to create a presumption that the individuals who are presumed exposed to herbicides during reserve service also meet the statutory definition of "veteran" (hereinafter, "veteran status") for VA purposes and eligibility for some VA benefits.
美国退伍军人事务部（VA）正在将2015年6月19日发布的一项临时最终规则作为最终规则采用，以修订其关于推定接触某些除草剂的个人的裁决规定。具体而言，VA扩大了该规定的范围，将另一组人员纳入其中，这些人员在空军或空军后备役服役期间，在有规律且反复接触已知在越南战争时期用于喷洒除草剂制剂（“橙剂”）的C - 123飞机的情况下服役。此外，该规定确立了一项推定，即该组中后来患上橙剂推定疾病的成员在相关服役期间致残，从而将该服役认定为“现役军事、海军或空军服役”。这一行动的效果是推定这些个人接触过除草剂，并推定在后备役服役期间推定接触除草剂的个人也符合VA目的的“退伍军人”法定定义（以下简称“退伍军人身份”）以及获得某些VA福利的资格。
