New Rule Will Help Veterans Exposed To Agent Orange

Many heartfelt thanks go to General Shinseki, the current head of the Veterans Administration for his efforts to once and for all address the languishing needs of Vietnam era veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange some 40 years ago.

Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other support areas will now have fewer obstacles to quality health care and their entitled disability compensation.  It’s about time.  The new rule has amended and expanded the list of health problems the VA will presume to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures. Two new maladies have been added and one new category.

For Vietnam Veterans, the VA is adding Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic heart disease and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, such as hairy cell leukemia.

Thousands of Vietnam Veterans have died of these illnesses in the past three decades.  See the movie, “Unnatural Causes,” with the late John Ritter for a moving narrative of the real saga of Agent Orange and the governments efforts to deny its existence. This film was made in 1986. A real sleeper.

Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who exhibit a “presumed,” illness don’t have to provide evidence of the service connected medical issues. Any veteran who served in Vietnam from January 9,1962 to May 7, 1975, are now presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.

Thanks to the Vietnam Veterans of America in their relentless diligence and battery of tenacious attorney’s, justice is having its day. One of the most beneficial aspects of these decade long efforts is the now fair treatment of Gulf War Syndrome.

The pity is that so many World War ll veterans were not granted the fund of knowledge to deal with asbestos on Navy ships or the health problems for those that attended ABC School; Atomic Biological and Chemical Warfare School. I know one veteran who has been suffering since 1962 from chemical exposure aboard ship in that year.

It was only in September of 2008, that widows of veterans who died of Lou Geherigs Disease; ALS, were granted survivor benefits.  Yet, in a positive light, we may be the only nation on earth that does so.

For information on how to file a claim, go to “www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm”

God speed for these families and deep consolation to the families who preceded us.

21 thoughts on “New Rule Will Help Veterans Exposed To Agent Orange”

  1. The VVA and other veteran’s advocacy groups continue to do almost superhuman work with very few resources.  Still, while this is certainly great news for a small percentage of Vietnam Veterans, the fact remains that until the Veteran’s Administration starts to acknowledge the role of AO/Dioxin in congenital deformities of children born to the spouses and lovers of male Vietnam Veterans, these changes are largely cosmetic.  We can do better America.

    1. Thank you Ben. I was born with birth defects due to my father’s exposure to AO. My father died n 1998 due to hs exposure. I have actually traveled to Vetnam to met child victims there as well. Please VA t s time to help us. I 38 years old. How much longer? You can see more of my story at agentorangespeaker.com
      Thanks again,
      Heather

  2. Amazing, that it takes around 30 years to acknowledge the risks take by the military in the war. However, my brother will not have to endure the process as he died at the age of 38 from cancer. I have nothing positive to say about the delay by the military and the VA who seem relieved that the risk pool is shrinking daily – a budget is a budget.

    1. My father died in 1976 (after a misdiagnosis by the VA clinic in Leavenworth, KS) of Lymphoma.  I was 6 yrs old at the time and my sister was 3.  We nearly lost our house and my mother worked for years (10 to 12 hour shifts) just keep what was a brand new home and to make it through the loss of income (yes with did receive SS benefits but they were very meager) so now maybe the Gov can make ammends to help people like my mother make it through her retirement years with some spousal benefits.

    2. Yup, that is a cold hard fact. Actuarial ‘s and bean counters rule the world.  While we bemoan, the corporate tax rate,35%, in America, the folks with the abacus know,(except Michelle Bachman) that nearly no one pays that rate, and often the effective rate is zero. Zero! for the soldiers who protect those corporations.  A flat tax rate on major corporations would allow for plenty of reserves for VA Health Care so they do not have to beg every year for an adequate budget. They beg, corporations whine. Real patriotic eh?

  3. Guam vets exposed to Agent Orange are still being denied as of today.  The lies continue.  I prepared, mixed by hand and hand sprayed agent orange herbicides on Andersen AFB Guam and off base fuel facilities and piplelines for ten years from sept 1968 to jun 1978. I have witnesses, first exposure diseases and air force documentation to prove all of it and yet they have denied me for 25 yrs. I have had my heart cut out of my chest with arteries hardened of a man 150 years old at the age of 46.  I suffered over50 heart attacks and strokes.

    1. Get a copy of the Veteran a publication of Vietnam Veterans of America. There are attorneys in there who will help you. Also go to the website, “Veterans Benefits Network.” There are some very knowledgeable vets there. Many of them retired Service Officers like myself. Don’t quit!

  4. I seems advocacy for veterans is very near sighted and very narrowed at best.  ALL VETERANS EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE HERBICIDES SHOULD BE TREATED THE SAME WAY. THERE ARE MANY OF US THAT HAVE SEVERE EXPOSURE AND OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN NOW SUFFER BECAUSE OF THE LIES AND DELAYS.  I WILL COME BACK AND HAUNT ALL OF YOU RESPONSIBLE. I SWEAR TO GOD.

    1. You are correct. There are thousands of Vietnam Veterans whose children have afflictions and symptomatic issues that are linked to Agent Orange. What a Pandora’s box. Many have moderate but chronic skin conditions, others more serious, yet the VA does not really want to go there.  Enter the bean counters again. But I must say, this VA is at least honest about the malady. It took us 30 years to surface the honesty.

  5. Today my husband had his last exam through the VA per protocol, in the process of filing his disability claim. Now we wait. He has multiple issues, but the main one claimed is ischemic heart disease. History of heart attack with stent placement at age 50, 2nd attack age 55 with triple bypass in March of ’09. Age 56, more stent placements in Oct of ’09. He has multiple other issues, but none can be claimed as true AO exposure per their list. All of his care has been by non-VA specialists through my insurance coverage. What is really sad is the nurse practicinor who did the required VA physical said she ‘didn’t have time’ to look over his chart, (all cardiac medical records we obtained copies of). She just did a quick physical and that was pretty much it. So we have at hand consult from a good book , on how to go about filing an appeal, in the instance of denial. Why should we even have to be prepared for a round two?

    1. “What is really sad is the nurse practicinor who did the required VA physical said she ‘didn’t have time’ to look over his chart, (all cardiac medical records we obtained copies of). She just did a quick physical and that was pretty much it.”
      I received the same response from a nurse practioner at the VA back in 2009 with my back problems when when I was trying to retire. I got screwed on that one, I don’t think anyone ever looked at the records. I am still waiting on a response for that one that was within their one year time period for rebuttal.

  6. Do not file an appeal. Do NOT!  At least not yet. You have endless opportunities for a process called “Reconsideration.”  The Appeal process is a bit of a charade at first, and you will be in the hopper no less than 5 years. Do you have a Service Officer to whom you gave Power of Attorney?  You are going to need an Advocate. Let me know where you live and I may be able to hook you up with some skilled help.

    1. this whole thing  with agent orange is very up setting to me they think that every thing is coming out of there pocket and to me they wait so long that they hope you die before they have to help. i know they have alot of claims but they get these i call kids that have never been in the service and they know nothing about any of this. why,why,why do they have to take so long to make there dissision on this it is very up setting and i dont know how they can be that way

  7. What about all the non-veterans?  When they have the same ailments, who do they blame?  If you have heart disease and need a quadruple bypass, you’re saying-if you were exposed to Agent Orange, that’s what caused your problems.  If you and your relatives never even went into the military, and you need a quadruple bypass, you just had poor health habits, or you inherited some issues.
    How can they really separate the two?

    1. That is called the medical field of epidemiology, which is the study of the etiology, or the causes of illnesses. Some of the most intensive research in the world in conducted by the Veterans Administration, Department of the Army, and the National Institute of Health. It is well known that Agent Orange is the cause of many maladies. Just Google Agent Orange and you will get them all.
      Illness does not discriminate, yes health habits are another way to get sick.

  8. My father just died of cancer of the larnyx on 12/2. I had no idea up until then that his cancer originated from agent orange. His claims have been granted and my mother is waiting on compensation. Agent orange is not something the everyone is familiar with. I am going to get the word out about this so no one will die in vain.

  9. My condolences for the loss of your Dad. God bless your Mom’s efforts and follow through. It could not have been easy. And yes you will be doing the world of veterans a service by passing the word. Send this article to all you wish. Sometimes,a small blog like Veteran Veritas can get to alot of people. The Internet continues to dazzle me. It is a world above the world.

  10. My husband was a Viet Nam Veteran, and just died an awful death from Melanoma  in November 30, 2010..  We had filed a claim.    And I took the paper work in and they ask if I wanted to pursue the claim????   YES, BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO!!!! More people need to file claims for this cancer.  It needs to be added to the list. What more can I do to advocate for this.  I feel it is very important.  It may not help my husband or me, but maybe some other Veteran that will come down with Melanoma.  It is an awful cancer, with not good treatments.  It MUST BE ADDED TO THE AGENT ORANGE LIST.

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