Claim Raven explanation
What this means
This regulation provides a specific service-connection rule for non-Hodgkin lymphoma after Vietnam-era service in Vietnam. Its definition includes offshore waters and certain duty or visitation in other locations.
The rule is about this particular disease and qualifying service. It should not be treated as a definition that automatically resolves every other Vietnam-related benefit or exposure claim. Other conditions may depend on different regulations or statutes.
How this helps your claim
For a non-Hodgkin lymphoma claim, compare the service evidence with this specific rule. Records showing offshore service or actual duty or visitation can matter even when the claim file does not describe a long assignment on land.
What to check in your records
Use your decision, examination reports, and relevant records to check the following points.
- Confirm that the medical diagnosis is non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Locate personnel, ship, travel, or other records documenting the relevant Vietnam-era service.
- Check whether the decision addressed section 3.313 separately from other exposure rules.
Keep this disease-specific rule in its own scope
The provision is focused on non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the service described in its text. That makes the precise diagnosis and service evidence central. A reference to lymphoma generally should be checked against the actual medical diagnosis rather than treated as a complete match.
Read this definition of Vietnam service for the purpose of this particular regulation. Other statutes and regulations may define qualifying locations differently for other benefits. A map or service finding useful under this section should not automatically be carried into an unrelated exposure analysis.
Does this section cover every illness after Vietnam service?
No. It addresses the specified disease and conditions. Other illnesses require their own applicable authority and evidence. The benefit of this reference is identifying a particular rule that may be relevant, not supplying a universal rule for all veterans who served in or near Vietnam.
Official regulatory text
38 CFR § 3.313
eCFR snapshot: September 3, 2026. Layout and spacing are adapted for reading. The full section and its tables are included below.
§ 3.313 Claims based on service in Vietnam.
(a) Service in Vietnam. Service in Vietnam includes service in the waters offshore, or service in other locations if the conditions of service involved duty or visitation in Vietnam.
(b) Service connection based on service in Vietnam. Service in Vietnam during the Vietnam Era together with the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma manifested subsequent to such service is sufficient to establish service connection for that disease.
(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501)
[55 FR 43124, Oct. 26, 1990]
Related references
- 38 CFR § 4.1: What a VA disability rating measures
- 38 CFR § 3.159: VA duty to assist: records and examinations
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