VA, Agent Orange, & PTSD Issues. __Articles and other helpful info........
Knowing that sooner or later, we may all face some kind of Agent Orange manifestation. Many of us have already had some type of a Agent Orange related affiction impact our lives and our families. On this page we wish to provide you with some helpful information so that you can be aware of the lastest news and findings. You need to be fully knowledgeable of your rights as a veteran that served in South Vietnam and of the current VA status upon Agent Orange issues. The first thing that you need to know is that you and your family are not alone. Here below, you can find help and support from your veteran brothers and many other sources.
VA Claims: Are not welfare payments!
These are claims which are due to those who put their life and limb on the line fighting for our country. There are good reasons why the money has been set aside for veterans with PTSD, Tinnitus, Service Connected Injuries, or Agent Orange related diseases. Because the VA and US Congress realize that these services are due to those veterans who were willing to place country first. Would you tell social security "not" to send your check that was earned by you? These benefits not only effect the veterans but also their families. Many times our pride takes precedence over our own well being and the well being of our families. (I said it many times in Nam as a grunt; "It don't mean nothing" - "Suck-it Up and keep moving") However, it’s your hard earned benefits that we are talking about here. And I have been told, that if a claim has been paid-out for 10 years preceding your death that your spouse may continue to receive those benefits?
Any claims that need letters substantiating injury or events can be obtained through the many men who served together. And we have the perfect platform here on our website to help out each other. You need to remember that when you are writing a letter of support for a brother, the VA person reading the letter may have never experienced war, or may have never been out of an air conditioned office. It is very important to write a very visual letter by using vivid descriptions to actually bring the person at the VA into that point of your life. The more detail that you provide, the better they understand what you experienced in Vietnam while serving our country.
If you or your family members have questions, we have guys who are available and willing help you. Please feel free to contact me (Gary Gilliam) for any questions you may have at 314-550-7260 (anytime) or by email: ggilliam@centurytel.net
Beside this page, you can also see our "Links Page" to find additional sources of assistance.
And if you have already had VA or Agent Orange issues impact your life... We wish to hear from you. You have already traveled down a path that some of us are just starting to face today. Your story and the insights that you have learned in working with a VA are of great value to anyone who is just beginning this journey. Share with us and help your brothers....
Send your comments, write-ups, and info for posting to ... rparmley@verizon.net
VA AGENT ORANGE 2022 NEWSLETTER:https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/publications/agent-orange/agent-orange-2022/index.asp
AGENT ORANGE USAGE IN THE NORTHERN I CORP AREA . . . . . . Click here to see or print a facesheet
VA Help Contacts.....As listed by State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Veterans Help Contacts listed by State.PDF
Get a copy of your DD-214 . . . . . It's official; DD-214's can now be easily ordered on-line. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided the following two websites for veterans to gain access and order their DD-214's on-line: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/
This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment or medical purposes. The NPRC is working to make it easier for veterans with computers and Internet access to obtain copies of documents from their military files. Military veterans and the next of kin of deceased former military members may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents.
This website is dedicated to helping veterans speed-up the processing of claims for Vietnam Veterans who are claiming service connection for any of the following conditions: Ischemic Heart Disease ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _Hairy Cell and other B-Cell Leukemias _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____Parkinson's Disease ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______Prostate Cancer ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hodgkin's Disease ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma _______________________________________________________________________________________ -_________________________-- Multiple Myeloma
July 12, 2010
New VA issues fact sheet on newPTSD claims regulations . . . . . . . https://www.ptsd.va.gov/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
___Oct. 13, 2009 ________________________ The VA Extends "Agent Orange" Benefits to More Veterans Parkinson's Disease, and Two Other Illnesses Recognized
WASHINGTON - Relying on an independent study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric K. Shinseki, decided to establish a service-connection for Vietnam Veterans with three specific illnesses based on the latest evidence of an association with the herbicides referred to as Agent Orange. The illnesses affected by the recent decision are hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson's disease; and ischemic heart disease.
Used in Vietnam to defoliate trees and remove concealment from the enemy, Agent Orange left a legacy of suffering and disability that continues to the present. Between January 1965 and April 1970, an estimated 2.6 million military personnel who served in Vietnam were potentially exposed to sprayed Agent Orange. In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a "presumed" illness don't have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This "presumption" simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.
The Secretary's decision brings to 15 the number of presumed illnesses recognized by VA. "We must do better reviews of illnesses that may be connected to service, and we will," Shinseki added. "Veterans who endure health problems deserve timely decisions based on solid evidence."
Other illnesses previously recognized under VA's "presumption" rule as being caused by exposure to herbicides during the Vietnam War are: (Each of these are links below are to the lastest information available from the VA)
Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy
AL Amyloidosis
Chloracne
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)
Hodgkin's Disease
Multiple Myeloma
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
Prostate Cancer
Respiratory Cancers, and
Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or Mesothelioma)
Additional information about Agent Orange and VA's services and programs for Veterans exposed to the chemical are available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.
VVA Self-Help Guide to Service-Connected Disability Compensation for Exposure to Agent Orange. http://www.vva.org/Guides/AgentOrangeGuide.pdf
Below are web-sites that provide information on Veterans benefits and how to file/ask for them. Accordingly, there are many sites that explain how to obtain books, military/medical records, information and how to appeal a denied claim with the VA. Please pass this information on to every Veteran you know. Nearly 100% of this information is free and available for all veterans, the only catch is: you have to ask for it, because they won't tell you about a specific benefit unless you ask for it. You need to know what questions to ask so the right doors open for you -- and then be ready to have an advocate who is willing to work with and for you, stay in the process, and press for your rights and your best interests.
VA Board of Appeals https://www.va.gov/decision-reviews/board-appeal/
Compensation Rate Tables, 2023 https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/veteran-rates/
Department of Veterans Affairs Home Page http://www.va.gov/
Forms and Records Request http://www.va.gov/vaforms/
Health Systems R&D Home http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/
My Health e Vet http://www.myhealth.va.gov/
VA Health Care Eligibility http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/home/hecmain.asp
VHA Public Health Strategic Health Care Group Home Pagehttp://www.publichealth.va.gov/
