A discussion on Agent Orange was added onto a different topic, so I removed it from that thread and started its own.
joang
These are the comments:
CommentAuthorJudithKB* CommentTime6 days ago edit delete
Faye was your dh in Nam?? Was he exposed to Agent Orange?? Heart failure is one of the conditions that is compensated by the VA if the Vet has been exposed to Agent Orange.
CommentAuthorLinda Mc CommentTime44 minutes ago edit delete
JudithKB, I worked with Vietnam Veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange in the 80's. I was Ohio director for an organization based in New York called Agent Orange Victims International. Back then, they refused to compensate. When did it start??? My oldest daughter's father had a soft tissue sarcoma at the base of his tongue caused by Agent Orange. Thankfully it was treated and cured (knock on wood!). I saw the strangest cancers and birth defects. I did what I could for them which was alot listening and understanding, but the work was devastating. We filed a class action in Ohio. It only had around 300 Vets, but it was a start as far as publicizing the issue.
paulc CommentTime45 seconds ago edit delete
I believe that Agent Orange compensation started in the last 80s or 90s. My wife work for the National Legal Services Poject (http://www.nvlsp.org) which played a major role in getting the US Govt to accept that Agent Orange exposure led to medical problems. They also campaigned for the right to appeal VA decisions, it used to be written in law that no VA decision could be appealed and it is surprising the number of pro-military representatives that fought against this reform. L worked for them after this work was done so she didn't have first hand experience with these issues but worked with people who did.
This is my understanding of the "Agent Orange" VA disability compensation. Vets could always apply for compensation for various medical problems if they had been exposed to Agent Orange. They might or might not be compensated for this exposure.
However, sometime in 2010 or 2009 Congress declared a numberr of medical condition to be caused by Agent Orange. And, the main feature of this acknowledgement was that these conditions would be considered "presumptive" meaning the Vet did not have to prove that their condition was actually caused by Agent Orange the VA had to accept the fact that if they had one of these conditions it was because of exposure to Agent Orange.
My husbands type of heart condition was one of the medical conditions and he was approved for disability payment within a few months. In addition, if the Vet died of the same condition which would then be considered death caused by "service related" exposure to Agent Orange the surviving would also be compensated at a lessor rate.
Unfortunately, I have disposed of all the information I had when going through papers last week. However, you can go to goggle and just type in "Exposure to Agent Orange" or go to "Military.com" and read about this. There are a number of other conditions that are on the list of presumptive conditions.
After my dh was approved for this compensation he then applied for 100% disability because he was no longer able to work. His heart doctor immediately sent an outstanding letter regarding his heart condition and he was almost immediately approved for the 100%. We felt very fortunate that he was able to get this compensation.
How sad. Yes...the VA does turn their back sometimes. I have always said I have a Love/Hate relationship with the VA. This is minor but, the VA couldn't get someone to come out to our home to install grab bars in the shower and toilet area for over 3 months and finally when they said it would be next week, I called and cancelled the order because he had died before they got here.
My dh was in Nam and was on the boats going down some river. He said they would spray that agent Orange most every day along the shores so the enemy couldn't hide close to where the boats had to go to deliver goods. What a hell that war was for so many. They need and should get whatever is available without all the going from one person to the next by the caregiver.
From what I heard from people who worked in the VA in the 80s, there was a lot of illegal denial of benefits or the illegal reward of partial benefits. But the root cause was that the VA was (and probably still is) underfunded, so blame ultimately sits with Congress. During the Clinton years we saw an improvement of VA hospitals (I heard in the 80s veterans avoided them if possible) but there are problems with the overall VA system.
Judith KB I wanted to let you know that I have the wonderful VA nurse that takes care of Dado helping with the Agent Orange papers. She called me today to find out more about his service. At one time , his neurologist denied that Dado has any kind of Parkinsons, but now, they are calling his dementia a mix of Parkinson type, and lewy body. I don't know...if anything will come of it, but I am at least grateful to see that I am getting some help with it. They never did make him an appt. that I had tried to set up with the VA clinic, and now it is too late to take him.
Now that I have to pay a $500 portion of his care each month, I really really need any extra income. I have enough to cover it for about 6 months, after that, I will either have to sell my home, rent it , or do something I just don't have that kind of money. I will keep you all informed of this Agent Orange case.
Great Coco....glad you have the ball rolling. But, we both know how slow, etc. the VA and SS can be getting anything done. I would suggest you write her a letter stating something like this: "I wish to officially file a claim on behalf of my husband for total disability because of his exposure to Agent Orange during his time spent in Viet Nam. Please forward me the necessary forms so that I can be on record for having applied for these benefits which I feel he is entitled to."
You can send this letter to her and then add another little note to her stating you want to file the forms IMMEDIATELY in writing so there is an official record of your filing....stress that time is important. Of course, keep copies of both letters. You want to have something in writing as soon as possible because they can take forever to get the ball rolling. In fact, you might look on the net and find the forms you need to fill out and fill them out and send them to her. Go to Military.com...they have all kinds of forms. Remember the filing date is the date they will use to give you back pay and that why it is so important to do it very soon. If you have a problem finding them let me know and I will see what I can do to find them.
After I applied for Jim it really didn't take that long to get the benefits. The most important factor with these claims is that you don't have to prove that his condition is caused by Agent Orange. If he was in Viet Nam and has Parkinson like conditions stated by the doctor...that should take care of it. Keep me posted.
CoCo....Here is a place to go to inorder to read about Agent Orange and how to file a claim. www.vva.org/guides/AgentOrange this site will tell you how to file the "informal" claim and they stress not to wait for someone to do the research that they can do the research after you file. An informal claim can be filed and mailed by registered mail return receipt requested so you have proof of the filing and date it is received by the VA people. Hope this helps.
IHD is now recognized by the VA as AO related. My husband finally got his 100% Priority One With Purple Heart VA disability rating at the end of last year. it too 2 years of filling out reports, doctors visits, filling out more reports and calling the VA to get this done...( and the govt wants to run health care..what a joke)
There is a long list of diseases now recognized by the VA as a result of exposure to AO. Go to the VA website or google AO diseases recognized by the VA.
Just because one has heart disease, however, does not mean it is AO exposure. It has to be Ischemic Heart Disease. The VA finally recognized this one about 2+ years ago.
To get help with filing your claim locate your local VA office in your county...they should be able to help you, advocate for you. I did it all on my own and this took forever...Once you have that VA advocate working with you, he can run interference for you if calls need to be made. Calling that VA 800 number can be answered anywhere there is a switch board. Just because you get mail from say the VA on Wilshire Blvd in LA does not mean that 800 no is to that office..it isn't. It can be a nightmare getting good help on the other end.
You will need to have his DD214 and any orders, anything that will say WHERE HE WAS IN VIET NAM..NOT ALL AREAS WERE EXPOSED TO AO.....we had my husband's flight logs. Also if he has any awards for actions can assist in telling where he was in Viet Nam and let them know if he has a Purple Heart...You are going to need supporting documents.