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Posts Tagged ‘Agent Orange’
Monday, June 25th, 2012
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently reported a follow up to their 2010 announcement on three new conditions stemming from Agent Orange exposure to be listed as immediate consideration for veterans’ disability benefits. Vietnam veterans who suffer from ischemic heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and several chronic B-cell leukemias are now presumed to have been exposed to the toxic herbicides used during the Vietnam War.
This amendment to the VA’s disability considerations stemmed from the Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs case in California’s Northern District Court. Since the addition of the new conditions, the review of nearly 230,000 “Nehmer” cases has taken place, resulting in over 150,000 claims to be adjudicated.
With the bulk of the Agent Orange claim reviews over, VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki has announced that as his department wraps up the remaining 500 or so cases that will benefit survivors of deceased Vietnam veterans, their manpower can now focus on helping the regular veterans’ disability claims backlog.
A task force of 1,200 VA employees that have been working on the Nehmer reviews will now be refocused to help decrease the general claim backlog and help the VA reach its goal of claims reaching completion in 125 days with a 98% accuracy rating.
Vietnam veterans who have developed any of the three conditions recently approved for immediate consideration can file their claim with the VA’s fast track program. Qualifying for the special expedited consideration can be difficult without the right evidence, but a veterans’ disability attorney can help.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Agent Orange, Vietnam veterans
Posted in Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
According to an article on Veterans Today, the latest additions to Agent Orange contaminant areas are military ports in Okinawa, Japan. Logbooks of vessels from the early 1960s that docked in these Okinawan ports have revealed that Agent Orange was secretly transported by merchant marine ships, such as the SS Schuyler Otis Bland, under the mission known as Project AGILE. The chemicals transported by this ship were eventually used in testing in the Panama Canal Zone.
More than 30 disabled Vietnam veterans suffering from serious health conditions consistent with dioxin-exposure have raised concerns about potential Agent Orange contamination. These veterans were stationed at 15 military bases in Okinawa, which has been claimed to still suffer after effects from dioxin use.
Vietnam veterans who were stationed in areas where the chemical herbicide Agent Orange was used are almost always immediately approved for service-connected disability pay when they develop certain disabling medical conditions. Many diseases such as diabetes, cancers, and skin conditions have been linked to exposure to Agent Orange.
Veterans advocates are helping to collect more records and information about Agent Orange use, during the Vietnam War, to determine more areas where veterans may have been exposed. This may help validate claims for disabled Vietnam veterans who have been diagnosed with unexplained health conditions.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veteran’s disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Agent Orange, Veterans disability, Vietnam veterans
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General, Veterans' Disability, Vietnam veterans | No Comments »
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
Several U.S. veterans are claiming they were forced to dump hundreds of gallons of Agent Orange into a trench in Camp Carroll, South Korea, in 1978; however, according to a joint U.S.-South Korean team of investigators, there is no Agent Orange in Camp Carroll, as was recently reported in an article on Defense.gov.
The investigation into the veterans’ claims of dumping Agent Orange into the trench lasted 8 months. Not only was no Agent Orange discovered during the extensive investigation, researchers also found there was no existing health risk to the public on the U.S. Army post. Overall, the investigators interviewed more than 170 former civilian employees from Korea and U.S soldiers. The task required the involvement of more than 30 distinct government agencies.
Based on a document assessment, 380 barrels of Agent Orange were imported to South Korea in 1968, which were also deployed by the Republic of Korea Amy that same year.
Additionally, the investigative team performed a survey of the geological landscape. Utilizing “ground-penetrating radar, electrical resistivity and magnetometers,” the researchers were able to get a fairly in-depth reading of the water and soil surrounding the region where the Agent Orange was supposedly buried and found no trace of the toxin to pose any hazardous health concern.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Agent Orange, Camp Carroll, U.S. veterans
Posted in General | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
According to an article on VVA-NC.com, crew members who worked on planes that were used to spray Agent Orange, during the Vietnam War, are concerned their proximity to the toxin’s residue on the planes is a health risk. Veterans who suffer from a service-related disability or illness, may be able to file for veterans disability claim and should seek help from legal counsel to pursue compensation.
The military used C-123 Provider aircraft to deliver/spray Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The spraying ended in 1971, but those C-123s were repurposed and used to transport cargo and perform medical evacuations until 1981.
Crew members aboard these planes have reported “strong odors” in the planes, but were likely ruled out to due to fact that TCDD, the main toxin in Agent Orange, is odorless.
The U.S. Air Force tested multiple C-123s to determine if TCDD existed in the planes. After reviewing the test results, and the subsequent reports, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) came to the same conclusion that even if C-123 crews were exposed to Agent Orange residue, the exposure was not capable of causing any negative long-term health concern.
This does not mean that your health condition does not exist and you should seek help. You still may be able to collect disability benefits, which is why you should have an attorney by your side.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Agent Orange, Veterans disability, Vietnam War
Posted in General, Veterans' Disability, Vietnam veterans | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
A bill was recently introduced to the Senate that would give more Blue Water veterans benefits for being exposed to Agent Orange during Vietnam, according to an article in The Leaf Chronicle. The new bill will provide a basis of eligibility for over 250,000 Naval veterans, many of whom are already classified as veterans with disabilities but have been unable to draw benefits.
A Blue Water veteran is a name used to describe those veterans who served on ships in the waters surrounding Vietnam but didn’t step into Vietnam and didn’t “traverse inland waterways.” In 2002, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) decided that only veterans who had served on Vietnam land could draw benefits from the VA’s presumptive illness list for Agent Orange exposure. This ultimately left out about 250,000 from being considered for VA benefits.
Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that Agent Orange infected on-board water sources, troops in airplanes transporting the toxic defoliant, and directly affected sailors on ships downwind from areas where Agent Orange was deployed.
The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2011 would ensure that Blue Water veterans are considered eligible for VA benefits due to Agent Orange exposure. The bill will allow coverage for those who served “within the territorial seas or approximately 12 miles offshore of Vietnam.”
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Agent Orange, Agent Orange Equity Act of 2011 (S. 1629), Blue Water Veterans, Veterans disability
Posted in Disabled Veterans, Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability, Vietnam veterans | No Comments »
Thursday, September 15th, 2011
Among those who are drawing veterans disability or are eligible for the benefits due to being exposed to Agent Orange, are certain Naval and Coast Guard veterans. Some Naval veterans, however, are eligible to qualify for disability compensation under 14 different conditions listed on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) presumptive disease list related to Agent Orange exposure.
The VA is now extending that eligibility to more ships that operated in and around Vietnam’s coastline between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. The list includes those ships that:
- operated in inland waterways;
- docked on shore; or
- sent crewmembers ashore.
According to VA Sec. Eric Shinseki, extending the list of ships eligible for such benefits makes it easier for veterans of the Navy and Coast Guard to get their earned benefits. The VA’s presumption is any veteran that was “in-country” during Vietnam may have been exposed to toxic herbicides, such as Agent Orange. Such veterans who then develop one of the diseases on the VA’s list do not have to show a link between their service and their illness to claim veterans benefits.
The VA has been not only adding more ships to their qualifying list, but has added more presumptive diseases as well in recent history.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today – 1-888-234-5758.
Tags: Agent Orange, Presumptive Disease, Veterans disability, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in Disabled Veterans, Vietnam veterans | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
The United States sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange over jungles in Vietnam. It was used to destroy vegetation so American troops could locate their enemies. Unfortunately for those exposed to the herbicide, it is likely the cause of multiple cancers, diseases, birth defects, and and nerve disorders. Now veterans are claiming to have buried Agent Orange outside a military base in the 1970s.
Following those claims, the U.S. military command in South Korea launched their own investigation. The veterans claim they were ordered to dig a ditch about as long as a city block outside Camp Carroll, South Korea.
In that ditch these veterans claim they were ordered to place approximately 250 55-gallon drums. The barrels were various colors, and some were labeled as containing “Compound Orange.”
Further, the veterans making the claims about burying the drums also declared the barrels were leaking. Those leaking barrels poured out all over their hands and they inhaled the fumes as they were “disposing” of the barrels.
The immediate concern is for those Koreans and Americans still living and working at and around Camp Carroll. Of course, assurances are being made to properly dispose of anything harmful that may be discovered. Soil and water samples will be collected and tested. The veterans’ reports have been corroborated by other veterans.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Agent Orange, Camp Carroll, Veterans disability, Vietnam veterans
Posted in Disabled Veterans, General | No Comments »
Friday, May 27th, 2011
Vietnam veterans have high rates of cancer related to Agent Orange (dioxin) exposure. Further, they are not getting the service-related benefits they deserve, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has failed to continuously report the numbers reflecting how many veterans have specific cancers. This has made it impossible to follow cancer rates in Vietnam veterans.
The rate at which veterans exposed to dioxin suffer from various forms of cancer is shocking. Veterans have contracted brain and pancreatic cancer at rates “5-7 times higher than the civilian populations.” Those same veterans test positive for lung cancer twice as much as other veterans who served in country.
There are no cancer registries specific to veterans, even with the VA. The VA is not required to report such instances of cancer to the national registry, and they do not report such numbers. This makes it impossible to accurately follow what types of cancer Vietnam veterans are developing, and which ones are related to Agent Orange exposure. Further, when the VA does report to the registry, those reports are often miscoded.
According to the VA, the miscoding as well as the underreporting are done to protect the privacy of the veteran-patients. The veterans are the ones suffering, however, as the VA’s actions likely end up preventing veterans from receiving their earned, service-related benefits.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Agent Orange, Cancer, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VA Health Care System, Veterans disability, Vietnam veterans
Posted in Veterans' Disability | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently passed a rule expanding the number of Korean War veterans exposed to herbicides who are eligible for health benefits through the VA. The new rule extends the years Veterans exposed to herbicide while serving adjacent to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) qualify for VA benefits.
Prior to this rule, only veterans who had served in specific units qualified, and those units were limited to serving along the DMZ between April 1, 1968 and July 31, 1969. The new rules pushes those time lines out to April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971. Any veteran who served in Korea during these times are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. Only indisputable evidence to the contrary, such as proof the veteran was on leave at the time, will be able to overcome the presumption.
Exposure to herbicides such as Agent Orange have proven to cause a number of diseases ranging from acute and sub-acute peripheral neuropathy to heart disease to Parkinson’s disease to a great number of cancers. Many times diseases do not surface for years and spina bifida is a common disease among those exposed veterans’ children. Somewhere around 21,000 gallons of Agent Orange were used between 1968 and 196 in the DMZ alone. It is likely thousands of veterans were exposed during this time.
The VA’s new rule will go live on February 24, 2011. As of that date, the rule will be applied to all claims for benefits submitted on or after that date as well as any and all claims not yet resolved in front of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the VA itself as of that date.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Agent Orange, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), DMZ, Korean War, VA Health Care System, Veterans' Benefits
Posted in Veterans' Benefits, Veterans' Disability | No Comments »
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
First thing’s first, Happy Veterans Day! Everyone here at The Veterans Blog wishes to send our sincere thanks and gratitude to all the men and women who have served in the U.S. military and continue to serve our country around the world.
Now on with the latest VA news…
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have a huge backlog of disability compensation claims they absolutely must address or face dire consequences. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki has vowed to clear the backlog by 2015, so the VA is taking action and completely overhauling the entire disability compensation claims process. Part of this reformation includes automating the disability claims process, which requires new disability benefits questionnaires. The VA released the first 3 of 79 questionnaires the new disability claims processing system will require.
These first 3 questionnaires will be used by both VA and private physicians when evaluating the most common medical conditions seen in veterans. In order for the new claims process to work effectively, medical diagnoses must be quick and correct. These new forms will force physicians to include critical information into the claims system, which will speed up compensation decision times.
The VA’s automated health records system requires VA physicians to submit specific information in a very precise manner. This is so claims adjudicators have all the information they need to process the disability claims quickly. These new questionnaires will guide the physicians in exactly what information is needed, when it is needed to be put into the system, and where it needs to be put into the system. The thinking is, the more standardized everything becomes, the easier it will be to process the disability claims.
It is no coincidence these first 3 questionnaires cover the latest 3 diseases added to the VA’s presumptive disease list for Agent Orange exposure as these claims are just beginning to be processed. Sec. Shinseki imposed a goal on the VA, which is to process claims in no more than 125 days with a minimum 98% decision quality rate. Using these new questionnaires on 3 brand new diseases should be a perfect test for the VA’s new process.
If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, contact LaVan & Neidenberg. You may be entitled to certain programs and benefits so contact our veterans disability rights firm today.
Tags: Agent Orange, disability claims backlog, disability claims processing, Presumptive Disease List, VA disability questionnaires, VA Health Care System, veterans disability claims
Posted in Disabled Veterans, Veterans' Benefits | No Comments »
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