USS Serrano
Hull AGS-24
What the July 1, 2019 VA list records
Category II a larger ship that temporarily entered inland waterways
conducted mapping surveys of Mekong River Delta and other coastal and river areas from 1966 through 1969
3 published Board decisions mention USS Serrano.
A mention is not a grant rate, an exposure finding, or proof about any claim, and vessels that shared this name share this count. Updated weekly from the published Board record.
Search published Board decisions mentioning USS Serrano →
What current law covers
Under the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, federal law presumes herbicide exposure for veterans who served on a vessel "not more than 12 nautical miles seaward" of the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 (38 U.S.C. 1116A). That offshore presumption does not depend on this list. The regulation text of 38 CFR 3.307 still reads the older way; the statute controls.
This list matters today mainly as evidence: it documents, in VA's own words, what this ship did and when.
Your service dates still matter
This entry describes the ship, not any individual sailor: was the veteran aboard during the listed activity is a question only service records answer. A ship appearing here does not by itself prove any person was aboard on the listed dates, and the categories that involve going ashore pair with the veteran's own statement of having done so.
Related
Source: VA Compensation Service, "Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents," July 1, 2019, quoted verbatim. Legal context verified against 38 U.S.C. 1116A on August 17, 2026. Educational catalogue, not legal advice, and not a determination about any veteran's claim.