Testicular Cancer From Being Exposed To Agent Orange

[rkelly]

I have been fighting the VA since 2003 claiming that my cancer was caused from exposure to AO. After being denied several times and after several appeals finally in 2011 the VA admitted that from all the research I sent in to them and from their own doctors C/P findings and from my doctors findings that my cancer was indeed caused from exposure to AO and ruled in my favor but they gave me a 0% rating. I realize that Testicular cancer is not on their list of cancers that they recognise, but is on a list to be added someday. Just wondered if any other Vietnam Vets have have applied for benefits from this type cancer and if so what kind of results they have had. I appealed this ruling again in 2011 and as of yet have not heard a thing. I will keep appealing this until I die which I feel is what they are waiting on. This is my very 1st post, but find this site to be most interesting.

Thanks Rick Kelly Vietnam Vet 1971-1972.

[carlie]

Welcome.

I am moving your topic to the AO forum.

[Berta]

I assume that perhaps you had proven that the cancer was a STS (soft Tissue Sarcoma),or that your medical evidence ruled out any possible other etiology but for Ao exposure for this type of cancer.

.

There are multiple STS cancers that VA will service connect to AO exposure. This list can be found here under a search.

I also assume (and could be wrong) that VA gave you DC 7524 for the noncompensable rating.

If you go to the VASRD (VA Schedule of Ratings) here at hadit, you can look up the diagnositic codes there to see if your cancer falls into a higher DC rating,based on medical evidence.

There have certainly been AO awards for conditions not on the actual AO presumptive list but they are few and far between and require a very strong IMO with good medical citations..

A persistent vet at the CAVC some time ago fully proved his type of cancer fell into the CLL regulations although it had a different name than CLL.

I dont think he even had a lawyer,but he had a wife who relentlessly pursued the research and finally a doctor, with expertise in the filed of CLL and other cancers of this type, agreed with him and finally so did the VA.

[rkelly]

Berta thank you for your response. After being given a 0% rating the last time in 2011 I have contacted Allsup of Belleville Il to handle everything from here on. They specialize in my type of claims and have told me that I have a very good chance they can win my case. In my 11 years of fighting with VA I have never spoken to anyone from VA, it's all been done through the mail.

[john999]

It might be worthwhile to file claims on anything you think might be caused by AO because even if you lose today the diseases may be added to the presumptive list later and then Nehmer might apply if the VA has not done away with it by then.

[Chuck75]

One of the oddities concerning Vietnam service. - - -

It was not widely publicized, but the Navy, during the late 60's was encountering higher than normal rates

of testicular cancer. So much so that the Navy hospitals were making a serious effort to make sure that they did not

miss any cases due to mis-diagnosis.

[john999]

0% for testicular cancer seems very low rating unless it is 100% contained and cured.