Editing Agent Orange (section)

====U.S. Veterans of Laos and Cambodia====
During the Vietnam War, the United States fought the [[North Vietnamese]], and their allies, in [[Laotian Civil War|Laos]] and [[Operation Menu|Cambodia]], including heavy bombing campaigns. They also sprayed large quantities of Agent Orange in each of those countries. According to one estimate, the U.S. dropped {{convert|475,500|U.S.gal|abbr=on}} in Laos and {{convert|40,900|U.S.gal|abbr=on}} in Cambodia.{{sfn|Stellman|Stellman|Christian|Weber|2003}}<ref name="theatlantic.com">{{cite magazine |last=Dunst |first=Charles |magazine=The Atlantic |date=20 July 2019 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/07/agent-orange-cambodia-laos-vietnam/591412/ |title=The U.S.'s Toxic Agent Orange Legacy: Washington Has Admitted to the Long-Lasting Effects of Dioxin Use in Vietnam, But Has Largely Sidestepped the Issue in Neighboring Cambodia and Laos |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014202833/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/07/agent-orange-cambodia-laos-vietnam/591412/ |archive-date=2019-10-14}}</ref><ref name="Agent Orange's Legacy">{{cite news |last1=Ana |first1=Phann |last2=Doyle |first2=Kevin |title=Agent Orange's Legacy |date=March 20, 2004 |work=The Cambodia Daily |url=http://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/agent-oranges-legacy-884/ |access-date=May 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505104932/http://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/agent-oranges-legacy-884/ |archive-date=May 5, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Because Laos and Cambodia were both officially neutral during the Vietnam War, the U.S. attempted to keep secret its military operations in those countries, from the American population and has largely avoided compensating American veterans and CIA personnel stationed in Cambodia and Laos who suffered permanent injuries as a result of exposure to Agent Orange there.<ref name="theatlantic.com"/><ref name="The New York Times">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/world/asia/us-moves-to-address-agent-orange-contamination-in-vietnam.html |title=4 Decades on, U.S. Starts Cleanup of Agent Orange in Vietnam |access-date=May 5, 2014 |location=New York |work=The New York Times |date=August 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415012709/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/world/asia/us-moves-to-address-agent-orange-contamination-in-vietnam.html |archive-date=April 15, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

One noteworthy exception, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, is a claim filed with the CIA by an employee of "a self-insured contractor to the CIA that was no longer in business." The CIA advised the Department of Labor that it "had no objections" to paying the claim and Labor accepted the claim for payment:{{blockquote|Civilian Exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam: GAO-05-371 April 2005.Figure 3: Overview of the Workers' Compensation Claims Process for Contract Employees: " ... Of the 20 claims filed by contract employees [of the united States government], 9 were initially denied by the insurance carriers and 1 was approved for payment. ... The claim that was approved by Labor for payment involved a self-insured contractor to the CIA that was no longer in business. Absent an employer or insurance carrier, the CIA--acting in the role of the employer and the insurance carrier--stated that it "had no objections" to paying the claim. Labor reviewed the claim and accepted it for payment."<ref>[https://www.gao.gov/htext/d05371.html 'Agent Orange: Limited Information Is Available on the Number of Civilians Exposed in Vietnam and Their Workers' Compensation Claims,'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226193512/https://www.gao.gov/htext/d05371.html |date=February 26, 2021}} ''GAO report number GAO-05-371'', April 22, 2005.</ref>}}