Agent Orange List

[evandc]

From VA

http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1796

[john999]

Berta

I bet a lot of RVN vets will be getting stress tests and echocardiograms. Most are reaching the age where these problems begin to happen. I never thought I would live long enough to see the VA make any kind of heart disease presumptive for AO. Perhaps given this decision all kinds of heart disease will be made presumptive because as you say it is sort of a moot point. What causes a heart to stop beating? Usually it is some blockage. They accepted DMII and now a form of heart disease. Every RVN vet should tell their spouses to be sure to file for DIC no matter what they die from given this decision. An autopsy will probably find a blockage in the heart which would be a contributing factor to death.

[Berta]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000160.htm

A great point John-

Hopefully we can briefly discuss this tonight at SVR and I will try to mention autopsies again-

I know a Vietnam vet with DMII and heart disease but he says he has no blockages or atherosclerosis.Then again as you mentioned -in time any type of heart disease  could possibly progress to atherosclerosis.

The above link seems to indicate that ischemia CAD is almost a term interchangable with CAD.One can assume many Vietnam vets with CAD as secondary to DMII already get properly compensated for it.

Then again many have the CAD without the DMII.

You are always right about the benefit of getting an autopsy.

[billy2]

Right now I have a claim in for CAD as secondary to DM11. My rep at the DAV scheduled me for an appointment at the VA with a cardio specialist to see if the CAD is related to my AO/DM11 or PTSD.

I wonder how these changes will affect my claim.

Bill

[john999]

Billy2

I think it is a lot easier to show that your CAD is secondary to DMII than to PTSD. The link between CAD and DMII is strong. The only test that really can tell for sure about your CAD is the heart cath which is invasive. Do you have symptoms? I got SC'ed for CAD secondary to DMII and it was a struggle. I had a C&P done by a PA at the VA which basically said I was fine. I appealed and got some more tests and got a rating of 60% for CAD. How could something like that happen you ask yourself? Incredibly poor C&P exam and poor overall care at the VA. I have never seen a cardiologist at the VA even given that I have a 60% rating for CAD. I had tests but the results were contradictory. One test said ischemia and the other test said AOK. What the hell.

[vmo]

I am grateful for the new conditions being added to the slowly growing list of conditions attributed to Agent Orange Exposure. Most of these GI's are at/near or well over 60 yrs old. Yes, some will benefit, but it will be too late for others. DIC for dependents, sure. When you have time--take a look at the huge list of conditions under "study" of possible relation to Agent Orange. *I really wonder how many more conditions could/should be immediately added as service connection to compensate these aging Vet's.(?). Also, let us not forget the many widow's that will continue to suffer because of the lengthy procedures to add the conditions. Please don't get me wrong, I am grateful these additional conditions were recently added. However, sometimes I feel like they (govt) will periodically throw us a "bone" to quiet us down for awhile. Could it be a few more thousand soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines must die, before more conditions are granted service connection? Perchance is the govt looking at saving $$$$$$$$???

Edited October 14, 2009 by vmo

[billy2]

Billy2

I think it is a lot easier to show that your CAD is secondary to DMII than to PTSD. The link between CAD and DMII is strong. The only test that really can tell for sure about your CAD is the heart cath which is invasive. Do you have symptoms? I got SC'ed for CAD secondary to DMII and it was a struggle. I had a C&P done by a PA at the VA which basically said I was fine. I appealed and got some more tests and got a rating of 60% for CAD. How could something like that happen you ask yourself? Incredibly poor C&P exam and poor overall care at the VA. I have never seen a cardiologist at the VA even given that I have a 60% rating for CAD. I had tests but the results were contradictory. One test said ischemia and the other test said AOK. What the hell.

John,

I had a 90% blockage of the LAD and they incerted a medicine coated stint back in Jan of this year.

My heart Dr. would only write that a short note that said I had CAD and the presence of diabetes is felt to be a contributing factor.

Bill