Living with Diabetes

The following options are available to you:

VA Benefits

VA Benefits are available to eligible veterans of the US Armed Forces.

TRICARE

TRICARE is a regionally managed health care program for active duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, retirees, their families, and survivors.

Agent Orange

Vietnam veterans with type 2 diabetes who were presumed to be exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides are eligible for disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 2000, the VA added type 2 diabetes to the list of "presumptive diseases associated with herbicide exposure." That action followed a report from the National Academy of Sciences that found “limited/suggestive” evidence of an association between the chemicals used in herbicides during the Vietnam War, such as Agent Orange, and type 2 diabetes.

For more information on disability compensation, please call 1-800-827-1000. Vietnam veterans who are interested in participating in the VA’s Agent Orange Registry Program, which includes an examination and may include medical treatment for Agent Orange-related illnesses, should call 1-800-749-8387 for more information or contact the nearest VA medical center for an examination (www.va.gov).