In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed Vietnam veterans' complaints regarding the Veterans Administration's (VA) Agent Orange program and related issues. GAO found that, since 1978, more than 89,000 Vietnam veterans have been examined through VA services. Although the GAO veteran participant survey and investigation showed that VA examinations were more thorough than the veterans perceived them to be, GAO believes that VA could reduce dissatisfaction and health concerns by providing more timely and thorough examinations and by better dissemination of Agent Orange, health-related information to veterans. GAO reviewed disability compensation claim issues and noted that the unreliability of medical service records and the legal requirement for epidemiological studies of veterans exposed to Agent Orange suggest that the retroactive compensation period for claims should be changed.