1. For purposes of this section, “Vietnam herbicide” means a herbicide, defoliant, or other causative agent containing dioxin, including, but not limited to, Agent Orange, used in the Vietnam Conflict at any time between December 22, 1961, and May 7, 1975, inclusive.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 36.10

  • Agent Orange: means the herbicide composed primarily of trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. See Iowa Code 36.1
  • Child: includes child by adoption. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
  • Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. a. Notwithstanding any other law of this state, proceeds received pursuant to a judgment in, or settlement of, a lawsuit against the manufacturer or distributor of a Vietnam herbicide for damages resulting from exposure to the herbicide shall not be considered as income or an asset for determining the eligibility for state or local government benefit or entitlement programs. The proceeds are not subject to recoupment for the receipt of governmental benefits or entitlements and liens, except liens for child support, are not enforceable against these sums for any reason.

 b. This exclusion of litigation proceeds from benefit or entitlement program calculations are available only to disabled veterans or their beneficiaries, whether payment is received in a lump sum or payable in installments over a period of years.
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