WASHINGTON ………….. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that nearly 230,000 claims have already been processed for the three newest Agent-Orange related conditions through June 2012, including over 150,000 claims required to be adjudicated under the order of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The near completion of these complex = Nehmer claims enables VA to redirect 1,200 employees who were dedicated = to reviewing the Agent Orange cases toward addressing the current backlog of disability claims.
I am proud of our VA employees who worked hard to complete = these Agent Orange claims, putting over $3.6 billion into the hands of = our Vietnam Veterans and their survivors,said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. We completed all of the Agent Orange Nehmer claims for living Veterans, and are now focusing on the fewer than 500 remaining that will benefit survivors.