You served your country. Dewinski commissioned him to research and analyze the available evidence on veterans service-related Agent Orange exposure and illnesses for the report. It is difficult to say how many Vietnam veterans have been affected by Agent Orange. Unless the VA agrees that the zone is 12 miles out, many Navy veterans still could be excluded because many Navy vessels never got anywhere near three miles of the coast of Vietnam, including aircraft carriers and their big-draft support ships, such as oilers and ammo supply ships, Wildhaber said. In fact, he was 21. that focused on Korean veterans of the Vietnam War (South Korea sent around 300,000 troops to the fight alongside the United States.) Free online workshop! APPLICATION 202. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Weve added these 5 new locations to the list of presumptive locations: If you served on active duty in any of these locations, well automatically assume (or presume) that you had exposure to Agent Orange. Exception: Blue Water Veterans with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may be granted service-connection without showing inland waterway service or that they set foot in Vietnam. These veterans, who served on ships in the bays, harbors, and territorial seas of Vietnam during the war, and their loved ones have been fighting Veterans Affairs for decades to get their claims approved. It is more common in men, in white people, and in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, but researchers cant explain why. exposure to herbicides in a location other than Vietnam or the Korean demilitarized zone. 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam over 20 million acres, putting three million Vietnam veterans and their families at risk. Go to a VA regional office and have a VA employee assist you. Based on the PACT Act, weve added 2 new Agent Orange presumptive conditions: You may also be eligible for disability compensation based on other Agent Orange presumptive conditions. He died in November 2015. The employees and the company gave a total of $1,500 dollars to this cause. - Maynard Kaderlik, Vietnam Veterans of America, When the diagnosis came, both Pete and Kate were sure they knew the cause: Petes. We did everything they told us to do, she said. There are still thousands of vets who dont realize their disease is on the list, says Bart Stichman, executive director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP), a nonprofit that helps veterans, survivors and active duty personnel pursue service-related benefits. Learn more about featured topics of the Vietnam War and Vietnam Era. The State of North Dakota provides automatic translation for nd.gov websites, courtesy of Google Translate. If you think you may be eligible for VA health care or benefits, we encourage you to apply now. The same applies to veterans who served in or near the Korean demilitarized zone between 1968 and 1971. Moore said the VA has forced each of these veterans to prove the exact source of their Agent Orange exposure, and that this is close to impossible in most cases because the records that would prove most of these exposures simply dont exist. They quickly filed paperwork with the Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, for disability payments. Competent medical evidence that the disease began within the deadline (if any). Check VA's Guide to Agent Orange Claims to learn more about how to establish eligibility to disability compensation and how much VA pays. But Evans didnt offer many options for families like the Naylors stuck navigating the system. Im pleased to see the House Veterans Affairs Committee approve the legislation, Yates said. Two years ago, the VVA received 50 thousand dollars from the state to do just that. DePodesta, a retired mortgage banker who works occasionally as a substitute teacher and serves as a prison chaplain, says the monthly benefits together with the retroactive payment made a pretty big change in my lifestyle. VA and federal law presumes that certain diseases are a result of exposure to these herbicides. Were not wealthy, he says. 3. If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, Well start to process PACT Act-related benefits in January 2023. There shouldnt be a category for you to get help, said Kaderlik. Curtis Evans, a Boston-based claims examiner with the Veterans Benefits Administration, told the crowd that taking the initiative with the VA was essential to reaping benefits if and when policy changed. Note:If we denied your claim in the past and we think you may be eligible now, well try to contact you. Only years later, when veterans exposed to Agent Orange started getting sick and dying, did doctors and researchers begin to draw a link back to the chemical. But the academy said that, due to gaps in the rigor of the study, such as a lack of information on the test subjects smoking and drinking habits and their exact levels of exposure, it would not revise its interpretation of the linkage. When you visit web sites, they may store or retrieve data in your web browser. In 1986, the group helped bring the case of. The Blue Water Navy veterans were exposed to Agent Orange in many different ways that VA has known about for years, Moore said. return to top Health Care 877-222-8387 Benefits 800-827-1000 TDD (Hearing Impaired) 800-829-4833 Is There a Test for Agent Orange Exposure? WebHow many REAL Vietnam vets are alive today? to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange during his time as a helicopter crew chief in Vietnam. DeLeos opinion could help Kates case, however. Please remember, though, that the English language version is considered the most accurate. These cookies do not store any personal information. If a veteran is seeing a civilian doctor who isnt well-versed in veterans issues, she says, the doctor wouldnt necessarily associate the diagnosis with Agent Orange. This page will help answer your questions about what the PACT Act means for you or your loved ones. [See Veterans Day 2021 - The Wars End But Casualties Continue To Mount] So far his two adult daughters seem to be fine. WebHow many Vietnam veterans have died from Agent Orange? . Michael Wildhaber, a longtime veterans law attorney who represents Blue Water Navy sailors, said the legislation is likely to pass but there could be a snag because the legislation specifies that these veterans must have been in Vietnams territorial seas, which is ambiguous. Yet, the fact that review boards have ruled in widows favor in the past doesnt mean its a guaranteed to help current cases. The National Veterans Legal Services Program has been working on Agent Orange cases since its founding in 1980, said Bart Stichman, the groups executive director. Yes. The two spoke for about 10 minutes, and Evans suggested she ask for a hearing. On August 10, 2022 Agent Orange Awareness Day we will bring light to the continuing dark toll of the war. Any man or woman thats served who walks into the VA should be taken care of.. By using our website, you agree to the use of certain cookies. Cabby was Petes dog, an aging black lab that happily barks and gamely bounds to the door whenever visitors drop by. DePodesta says that for many years his eye injury qualified him for a disability rating of 30 percent and a monthly payment of under $400. You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. Kate believes the fight is worth continuing. To get a VA disability rating, your disability must connect to your military service. There are 14 diseases now presumed by the VA to be caused by Agent Orange exposure. The Vietnam Veterans of America nonprofit has been working to expand the VAs list of service-related illnesses for years. We encourage all Veterans and survivors to file for benefits now. The .gov means its official. Because disability claims can be complicated, Linda Schwartz at VVA says it's vital for veterans and survivors to use an accredited veteran service officer when filing such claims. And what he found was that, obviously, the veterans had been telling the truth.. Though most veterans are aware of the toxic nature of Agent Orange, an herbicide used to clear foliage in Vietnam, not everyone has kept track as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded a list of diseases that make it easier to qualify for benefits. In 1986, the group helped bring the case of Beverly Nehmer, the widow of a veteran who died of an Agent Orange-related disease, to court in what later became a class action suit on behalf of all Vietnam veterans. Copyright 2023 Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD. All Rights Reserved. Scarlett, a cancer registrar with six grown children, traveled from her home near Sacramento, Calif., to the nations capital to give her impassioned presentation, which balanced memories of her husband with data shed collected about his cancer. Weve added more than 20 burn pit and other toxic exposure presumptive conditions based on the PACT Act. Ask businesses to display awareness on their signs. WebAgent Orange was a tactical herbicide the U.S. military used to clear leaves and vegetation for military operations mainly during the Vietnam War. The Victims of Agent Orange the U.S. Has Never Acknowledged America has never taken responsibility for spraying the herbicide over Laos during the Vietnam War. If you served on active duty in any of these locations during these time periods, youre now eligible to apply for VA health care: If you havent filed a claim yet for the presumptive condition, you can file a new claim online now. But the VA has denied his disability claim. I have a bad limp, neuropathy, phantom pain from nerve damage. ", Getting extra compensation certainly helps. If we added your condition after you filed your claim, well still consider it presumptive. The military used Agent Orange to clear foliage during the Vietnam War, depriving enemy fighters of cover. 1. But she said she wont rest until the hundreds of other glioblastoma families are recognized by the VA. Im still fighting for all the veterans and widows who havent won, said Scarlett, who, along with Josenhans, Holt, and others, runs a Facebook page for veterans with glioblastoma and their familiesa group that has dramatically grown in the past year. There shouldnt be a category for you to get help.. David DePodesta, a 69-year-old veteran who lost sight in his right eye due to enemy shrapnel while serving with the Marines in Vietnam in 1969, was fortunate that he did pay attention to the list as it grew. Kathy, whos struggled physically and financially without her husband, has been fighting the VA for her survivor benefits for the last seven years. In the meantime, another group of Vietnam veterans who are struggling with a variety of diseases and conditions that are on the presumptive list but not getting their claims approved are the 90,000 sailors of the Blue Water Navy. We're all going to die from it, eventually, or a lot of us will," said Stenvold. Former Secretary David Shulkin, who was fired by President Trump in late March, voiced his support of the Blue Water Navy during his tenure. However, the military was unaware at the time of how many veterans would be adversely affected by the chemical in years to come. Most of them are deceased. This website adheres to the W3Cs AA Accessibility guidelines. See this episode and all of our previous episodes here at https://www.vvmf.org/echoes. Zumwalts son, also named Elmo, died of lymphoma and Hodgkins disease in 1988. You can also call us at800-698-2411(TTY: 711). If you think youre eligible for VA health care and benefits, we encourage you to apply now. Published March 19, 2015, North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs- 4201 38th St S,Suite 104 |Fargo, ND 58104-7535 | 701.239.7165, Agent Orange: It's Affecting Veterans and Their Kids, ND Association of County and Tribal Veterans Service Officers, North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs. These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make to give you better functionality and personal features. In a 2007 ruling, a VA review board found that the medical opinions of three doctors who believed another veterans exposure to the defoliant had caused his esophageal cancer were enough to tilt the scales in favor of recognizing his widows claim. Several other diseases bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, hypertensionandParkinsons-like symptomshave been under consideration to be added to the list. The VAs internal policies on whether to recognize a disease as related to exposure to the defoliant are based on biannual reports from the National Academy of Medicine. We honor and remember their sacrifice. An official website of the United States government. If someone you know has lost their battle to Agent Orange learn how to honor them in our In Memory Program. For veterans who qualify for disability payments and survivors who qualify for death payments, the benefits can mean tens of thousands of dollars a year in income. Your eligibility depends on your service history and other factors. Since the Vietnam War ended, thousands of Vietnam veterans have died each year due to Agent Orange exposure, PTSD and other illnesses as a result of their service. Roughly 300-thousand veterans have died from Agent Orange exposure -- that's almost five times as many as the 58-thousand who died in combat. Without these cookies, services you have asked for cannot be provided. Well send you a decision notice when we complete our review. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other websites. Pete was honorably discharged on March 19, 1971. The PACT Act is perhaps the largest health care and benefit expansion in VA history. Until the 1990s, the government recognized only one ailment a skin condition called chloracne as being linked to Agent Orange. 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