I was a Flight Deck director on the USS Kearsarge Aircraft Carrier. i was stationed in Blue Water off the coast of Vietnam from 1968-1971 on board the USS WICHITA AND THE USS ZELIMA, both of which carried munitions, fuel, food and supplies. My husband had Guillain Barre Syndrome for 3 1/2 yrs & never came home he was in different hospitals the whole 3 1/3 yrs & his liver took the best of him. He said he worked in areas close to base fencelines and perimeters, sometimes chaining down jets to run the engines, which would actually kick up dust and dirt everywhere around the aircraft.. What if your parent submitted a claim for a type of cancer that was only from exposure to agent orange, but passed away shortly after submitting the claim and received a letter stating that the claim was being looked into; does that have any validity to it? And BTW! Vietnam War era Veterans and their survivors who previously filed and were denied benefits for one of these three new presumptive conditions will have their cases automatically reviewed without the need to refile a claim. That presumption has been expanded to blue-water Navy veterans. Has it been found that it infected mechanics that worked on helicopters and airplanes that were used with agent orange? Boozman, Tester Fight for Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange During Service in Thailand. What about bases here in the states that stored or disposed of barrels of Agent Orange, like Camp Pendleton? But they were all sprayed.. Its about time! What about glioblastoma brain? Im not a Veteran either but I was born with the severest form of Spina Bifida. You sound very much like my 51 yr old son. Good luck. Often fence lines were sprayed to kill vegetation that may have hid the presence of enemy soldiers. BenefitsHealthNews ReleasesSecretary's PrioritiesTop Stories. Try to have ALL documents needed for the claim and include docs from research papers on UNDIAGNOSED ILLNESSES IN THE GULF as well as docs on presumptive Diseases from GWI(gulf war illnesses). Need help. Check in with the VFW or American Legion and they can guide you thru the process. You cant win. The U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs, known as the VA, has added atypical Parkinsonism to the list of conditions presumptively associated with Agent Orange exposure during military service. Also, the investigation found less use in Thailand and the DMZ then previously reported. Millions are suffering from mental illness, exacerbated by the pandemic. We were exposed to the chemicals daily, and I was at Camp Lejeune during the water contamination years. V.A. Veterans organizations have been fighting for this for years and it took an act of Congress to make it happen because the VA denied or ignored all scientific evidence. Client Win: CAVC No. 20-4843, C.Smith v. McDonough (Agent Orange Anything new in regards to children of Vietnam Veterans? What about Camp Lejeune NC and the continued toxic water that continues today? I inquired to my VA service rep. and he related to me that All decisions are on hold for Bladder Cancer claims until the VA develops final guidance on how to proceed with these claims. Just my venting and 2 cents worth, nothing more,nothing will change. You say that it is proven those chemicals cause various diseases including Scleroderma Where can I find such VA information mentioning that specific, rare autoimmune disease. If you have a copy of his DD214 and / or know the unit he was in you have a starting point. Could go on forever, but I should stop here. I have Myesthemia Gravis but keep being denied. 100 percent service connected. I filed for agent orange exposure I have been diagnosed by my Doctor with peripheral neuropathy and stinging and tingling in my extremities. I have had numerous health issues my entire life and was conceived within two weeks of him coming home from Vietnam. But not to veterans in Thailand at least, not yet. He did so much research on this letter (the Aug. 2015 memo)., These men are now in many cases in their 80s, Trone said. I received a letter from the VA today asking me to reach out they are liking for his next of Kin. The letter acknowledges that I have the conditions, but states that my service is not believed to be the cause. I believe I might get something after I am dead. I lost my fater 4 years ago to the toxic water at camp Lejeune. They call me to cancel an appt. What about soldiers who served in Vietnam AND South Korea both of which resorted in exposure to Agent Orange? Operation Ranch Hand. Best advicedo the paperwork, get your service records, go the the VA and get an advocate. My husband served in Vietnam in 1967-1968 and was diagnosed with AML leukemia in September 2020 and died in February 2021. They have requested information for my diseases but I have never heard back from them. Its easy. Centerville resident McHenry died in July 2021 at the age of 74. After a couple years of testing and hymm hawing, they found a cancerous pocket inside my thyroid. go to a VA clinic or hospital and get registered with the VA Health System. was wondering what you have to do die to get something done. Finally in 2020 he was dx with PSP. 2. I am wondering if they are delaying action on the claims until we are all dead? I know of another individual who served in Vietnam and has the exact condition. VA says Prove it. If its carried in the DNA then children are eligible for medical coverage by the VA a part of the DoD since the careless actions by the DoD caused this problem. But the prospects for those bills is uncertain at this point. 1975 -77. My thyroid quit years ago, 3 hernia operations, and compared to many of us, Im lucky but At 75 years old, I dont know how much I have left. I am tired all the time and I beat myself up for being lazy! Every day I was subjected to JP-4, Agent Orange surrounding our perimeter, MOGAS, Diesel and God knows what else. The Secretary recently concluded the first iteration of a newly formed internal VA process to review scientific evidence to support rulemaking, resulting in the recommendation to consider creation of new presumptions of service connection for respiratory conditions based on VAs evaluation of a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine report and other evidence. I know he was in Khe Sahn and went on to the DMZ by the time he got out of Nam. He developed T1 diabetes and died in 1996. My dad fueled planes in Vietnam in 1969 and was exposed daily for a year. Then was told, it was not caused by agent orange by the V A Doctor at Seattle. Former United States Army Vietnam Veteran and President of Veterans for Peace David Cline look for his fallen comrades names on the Vietnam War Memorial with member of Veterans For Peace, during a campaign event bringing together victims of Agent Orange exposure, a deforestation chemical used in the Vietnam War, in Washington, D.C. on November 28, 2005. How do I apply again if they are actually maybe taking this seriously? Was on duty there when Hurricane Camille hit Gulfport, MS and was deployed down there for rescue and recovery. is being forced because of these new laws and regulations to admit exposure they previously denied. So much for all those people and ads saying welcome home. I have had no status updates since Congressman Doug Lamalfa of California made an inquiry. The examiner at the ba denied my application for the 10 percent increase of my benefits because she said i should have gone to a doctor in the battle field. My husband was covered with the stuff in Vietnam and has multiple medical issues that he has been suffering since his late 40s. Luckily I havent had any problems other than PTSD. the va dont care about vets !!! See my reply to Paula where I mention the DNA effects that can be inherited by our children born after the exposure. My dad died of cancer and I RECEIVED NO BENEFITS from the VA as i am my dad only survivor. I was exposed to agent orange while serving in Korea on the DMZ. Sure was glad to see your comment! Our old family Country doctor is the one who finally broke the news to my brother and our mother. Ive spent the last 40+ years unable to do any physical work because I cannot bend over or do anything physically stressful. WASHINGTON - The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee advanced legislation introduced by U.S. Im glad these benefits are being added. I am a Viet Nam era vet: Denied, Denied and Denied, back pain. Who do we contact to start the claim process or to see if we are eligible? As a result, I was not affected by the many things agent Orange and the poison water from Lejuene contributed to my health. He was told they needed to review the deck logs to prove I was there. Parkinsons? Visit the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs Office. Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255 Text to 838255 to Get Help NOW . File a claim for DIC at va.gov or find a good VA advocate to help you. All camp sites were heavily sprayed ,where our tents for our barracks and mess hall were placed. Im 75 and i am sick and tired of being lied too. As I understand it Walter Reed Army Hospital conducted trial (experimental) treatments on him to no avail. Also contact your federal congressional Rep. in Washington and inform his office of your issue. ALL WHO SERVED DESERVE TO KNOW the answer/s to question/s being addressed. Trying to add timeframes is like saying one person can have same contamination but we dont care because it was before a war period. Good luck everyone getting what you deserve. Offspring of AO exposed veterans often get tumors. Never heard. Sinus surgery in 1999, again she said no go. Contact a VSO officer. I was in a artillery unit going where needed to support our ground troops. I have had my thyroid removed due to thyroid cancer and served in Vietnam Nam from 67 to 68. He served during Vietnam war. My husband was in Korea 1973-1974 he was in the 37thArtillery 6th Battalion Camp Essayons.Will any new VA expand benefits help him? Lawyers come in hot and fade like smoke on the wind after being stalled for so long by the VA. My husband did 2 tours in Vietnam and we were in the process of trying to see if he qualified for disability at but he died before we got to far along. Tried to find more information but doctor at VA didnt want to fully confirm nor deny exposure to Agent Orange. Charles McDivett. Im fully compensated, tax free, and have free medical. Charles, I too in my later years came down with Parkinson. Sorry, but I dont have the time or ability to bear the burden of responsibility when it comes to proving this issue. Get 4 of 6 problems. When I tried to claim hearing loss from jet noise, I was told I was 1 decibel from being deaf in both ears but DENIED. article ul li { list-style: disc; padding: 5px 0; } Im currently receiving a 20% rating for surgeries related to recurring shoulder dislocations while attending cliff assault school, boxing in smokers, and playing various sports for Marine units while stationed in Twenty-Nine Palms and Camp Foster, Okinawa.