On January 1, 2020, VA began processing claims under the VFW-championed Blue Water Navy Vietnam Act of 2019. The act restores VA benefits to thousands of Blue Water Navy Vietnam veterans who had their disability benefits taken away in 2002 after arbitrary regulatory changes. It benefits veterans exposed to Agent Orange while serving along the Korean DMZ with an earlier start date to encompass the time frame when various defoliants were tested-to September 1, 1967, instead of April 1, 1968-and expands benefits to children born with spina bifida due to a parent’s exposure in Thailand, coverage that already exists for the children of Vietnam and Korean DMZ veterans.