Public Health
Agent Orange Registry exams at the El Paso VA Health Care System
VA’s Agent Orange Registry offers Veterans who served in Vietnam between 1962-1975 the opportunity to learn about possible health problems that may be related to Agent Orange exposure. The Agent Orange Registry health exam is free and includes an exposure history, medical history, physical exam, and tests, if needed.
At the El Paso VA Health Care System, Mojgan Kaveh-Talley, MD has been working as an Environmental Health Clinician, conducting Agent Orange Registry exams since 2015. Dr. Kaveh-Talley is a physician in occupational and environmental health medicine and a lead physician for the Military Environmental Medicine Clinic at her medical center. Her clinic has conducted 8,319 Agent Orange Registry exams through January 2020. At Dr. Kaveh-Talley’s clinic, Agent Orange Registry exams take roughly one hour to complete.
Some of the health concerns that Veterans report during the exams include diabetes mellitus type 2, ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, early-onset peripheral neuropathy, and prostate cancer.
“What I like most about conducting Agent Orange Registry exams is finding presumptive conditions related to Agent Orange that have been missed by patients’ main providers,” said Dr. Kaveh-Talley. “Every day, it is rewarding, as patients are so thankful and appreciative,” she added.
Besides helping individual Veterans, the registry also helps VA to better understand and respond to Vietnam Veterans’ health care needs as a group. Veterans should note that the registry exam is separate from a disability exam and not required for VA benefits. Veterans do not need to be enrolled in VA health care to participate in the Agent Orange Registry.
To schedule an exam, Veterans usually call a medical support assistant at the El Paso VA Health Care System. You can schedule an Agent Orange Registry exam nearest you by contacting your local Environmental Health Coordinator.
Eligibility for the Agent Orange Registry
Veterans are eligible for the Agent Orange Registry health exam if they served in Vietnam between 1962-1975, including:
- Veterans who served aboard patrol boats that operated on the inland waterways of Vietnam (Brown Water Veterans)
- Veterans who served on a vessel operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward from the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia (Blue Water Navy Veterans)
- Certain Veterans who served in Korea or Thailand.
