VA updates list of ships spayed with Agent Orange. These ships are deemed to have served in the inland water ways of Vietnam. Under VA rules and Court case law, Veterans of the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard are not presumed exposed to Agent Orange unless the ship serves in the inland waterways of Vietnam, such as rivers. The BVA also considers docking in ports that are completely surrounded by land, such as DaNang harbor, as the inland waterways of Vietnam.
Current case law, which interprets the law as passed by Congress, does not permit service-connection for Agent Orange related diseases for Veterans that served offshore Vietnam. A veteran must either step foot in Vietnam or be on a ship that was in the inland waterways of Vietnam.