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Old August 23, 2014, 02:58 PM   #1
Dreaming100Straight
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OT: Veterans Disabilities Connected to Agent Orange

This is Off Topic. A Vietnam Veteran at the skeet range was not aware of his right to disability compensation for certain diseasespresumed to have been caused by service in Vietnam. I just want to cover three points. There is plenty of detailed information available if you do an internet search or contact your favorite Veterans Service Organization.

You need not show the presence of Agent Orange in your body/blood. This is impossible to do and is not required by Act of Congress.

You need not show or even claim that you were contaminated with Agent Orange. The law presumes that any service person who served in the Republic of Vienam, and that includes inland waterways, was subject to Agent Orange. It was in the ground, the water, air, and etcetera.

The list of diseases presumed to be connected to Vietnam service changes, so if you have a disease that was not covered a few years ago, it may have been added or it may be added in the future. For a list of diseases and more information you can begin by clicking the Veterans Administration own site. Some of these are Ischemic Heart Disease, Diabetes Mellitus Type II, Parkinsons Disease, and certain cancers and other diseases.

You may also wish to check out the Veterans Benefit Network.

If this post is improper, I apologize to the mod.
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Old August 23, 2014, 08:22 PM   #2
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Thanks.
Most of us blue water boys are still screwed.
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Old August 23, 2014, 10:40 PM   #3
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Not sure how up to date this is:

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/expos...ist/list.asp#N
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Old August 24, 2014, 12:18 AM   #4
Dreaming100Straight
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I hear you Zippy. For those not in the know, the Department of Veterans Affairs takes the position that those who served on ships off the coast and within certain harbors of Vietnam are not covered by the law providing compensation for conditions presumed to have been caused by agent orange. Those ships are known as the Blue Water Navy.

IIRC, this is based on the VA's interpretation of United States statutes and there are bills pending to extend coverage to those who served on Blue Water ships. Some don't think those bills have a chance of being passed, but should you file a claim and the law later be amended or interpreted to cover the Blue Water Navy, you will likely receive compensation back to the date you file a claim.

The list TomADC linked names ships that served on Vietnam's inland waterways at certain times. These waterways include the mouths of some rivers. It is constantly being updated. Sometimes as the result of servicemen establishing the fact that their ships indeed entered these "inland waterways". Coverage also exists if you went ashore when your ship was anchored in a harbor, even though that harbor is not considered to be an inland waterway.

My posts are not meant to be exhaustive, but to flag the existence of potential rights to compensation to which too many Veterans are unaware. I know that I filed late because I didn't realize that under the law I had a service connected disability, as was the shooter at the skeet field unaware that he had a claim. He thought he didn't have one because he was never spayed with Agent Orange and he couldn't prove that it was in his blood. Neither of which you must do to prove a valid claim.

One last basic thing. Service within Vietnam is not limited to be stationed in the Republic. You are covered if you were there for the briefest time. For example, if you landed in it while in transit as in the case of many stationed in Thailand or if you touched down in Vietnam while being transported to or from a Blue Water Navy ship. Those who served in Thailand during the Vietnam War may be able to state a claim depending on where in Thailand they served.

Last edited by Dreaming100Straight; August 24, 2014 at 12:28 AM.
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Old August 24, 2014, 01:19 PM   #5
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You need to review and confirm !!

Quote:
Most of us blue water boys are still screwed.
Not necessarily as the qualification has been extended and it covered a lot of Blue-Water sailors. You really need to confirm this for yourself. ....

A few years back, one of my buddies who was on a DE, in these areas, found out that he was now covered. ...

Hand-Salute and;
Be Safe !!!
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Old August 24, 2014, 04:42 PM   #6
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It's not only you "blue water boys" who are screwed, all those who were stationed at combat support bases in Thailand (such as myself) are also screwed.

In 2010, an attorney using the FOIA forced the government to admit that Agent Orange was used around all bases in Thailand, but the gov't says that, in order to qualify for compensation, you had to have been a dog handler walking the perimeter.

Now, I lived in an open screen sided "hooch" approximately 100 feet from the perimeter, and worked daily on the flight line which was about 30 feet from the perimeter. In fact, I have photos of racks of 55 gallon drums of the stuff stored right on the flight line, but nobody knew what it was at the time.

I have been afflicted with two of the "presumptive" diseases from AO, and another good friend of mine who was stationed there with me has already been operated on for prostate cancer.

As the normal work shift was 12 hours/day on the flight line, I would say I had my fair share of exposure to AO. Yet the V.A. keeps denying my claim stating that they require "proof" of some kind. I have submitted every kind of proof that I have at my disposal, so I don't really know what they want.

As an incidental, the Wikipedia article about my base states that all personnel were armed: This is not true. We were not allowed to carry any weapons unless you were part of a flight crew actually in the air, or if the base was being threatened with imminent attack. Whoever wrote that article obviously wasn't stationed there. Only the Thais were armed and carried M1 carbines or, in some cases, Siamese Mausers or leftover Jap Type 38 long rifles.
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Old August 24, 2014, 05:30 PM   #7
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A friend of mine was an S&R (Par jumper) in Vietnam and was awarded 100% disability for Agent Orange exposure. He has diabetes, stomach bleeding etc.
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Old August 24, 2014, 05:37 PM   #8
Dreaming100Straight
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gyvel, If you have not kept current with rulings on Thai vets, I suggest you check with the guys at Veterans Benefits Network. I am pretty sure that coverage has been extended beyond dog handlers to such as those that worked on the flight line and possibly those in hooches near the perimeter.

The guys at VBN can probably better assist you, but I suspect one kind of proof the VA might accept is buddy letters attesting to just where your hooch was located and where you worked on the flight line, what shop you were. If you want to PM me feel free.

You may wish to begin with this thread started by Korat Pete on the VBN. He was an Avionics Tech working near the perimeter at Korat AFB.

Sometimes a personal visit to your regional office can be very helpful.

Last edited by Dreaming100Straight; August 24, 2014 at 06:17 PM.
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Old August 25, 2014, 11:02 AM   #9
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Dreaming100Straight, I appreciate your passing this information along, and hope that some formerly-out-of-luck vets can make use of it to get medical care that they both need and deserve. As a result, I'm not going to delete the thread. I am, however, going to lock it as off-topic.

Cordially,
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