Federal Circuit Rules in Favor of Blue Water Veterans

In a decision issued this morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the presumption of service connection for certain diseases for veterans who served in Vietnam applies to so-called “blue water” veterans – those who served on ships in waterways off the coast of Vietnam, but did not set foot on land.  The case is Procopio v. Wilkie, 2017-1821, and the opinion can be found here – http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/17-1821.Opinion.1-29-2019.pdf  The National  Law School Veterans Clinics Consortium (NLSVCC) filed an amicus brief in support of the appellant’s position.