Delay In New Agent Orange Presumptives?

[JustPLS]

I read this today on Military.com's newsletter (Copyright 2010 Tom Philpott) and hadn't heard it before. Has anyone else heard of this? I am paraphrasing a bit, but a link to the entire article is below.

Webb: Delay Agent Orange Claims, Stop Bigger Pay Raises

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va) could become a new champion, for taxpayers, against what he perceives as excessive spending on a new wave of Agent Orange claims.

Webb risked the anger of thousands of veterans from that war when he won Senate approval last week of an amendment to block, at least temporarily, the Department of Veterans Affairs from paying new disability claims on three prominent diseases presumed linked to wartime herbicide exposure.

As many as 86,000 Vietnam veterans with ischemic heart disease, Parkinson's disease or B-cell leukemia are awaiting a final VA regulation to receive disability compensation based on a decision last fall by VA Secretary Shinseki of evidence linking these diseases with exposure to deadly defoliant used during the war.

VA officials not only have published interim regulations already but, for months, have been encouraging veterans stricken with these diseases, or their surviving spouses, to file new claims or re-file claims as soon as possible because benefits would be paid back to claim filing dates.

But Webb proposed, and senators accepted May 27, an amendment to the fiscal 2010 war supplemental funding bill (HR 4899) to limit spending on claims filed for these new presumptive Agent Orange diseases for 60 days. That will allow Congress time to study the VA decision and examine more closely the link found between these diseases and herbicide exposure.

What worries Webb, said one Capitol Hill source, is that, based on modest scientific evidence, VA could be paying claims on diseases that a large proportion of any population will contract through normal aging.

Webb's amendment language, if agreed to by the House, would invoke the Congressional Review Act which allows a funding freeze on any major government regulation or initiative so Congress can review the proposed changes. If in 60 days opposition strengthens and a majority of lawmakers will risk the wrath of expectant veterans with these ailments, Congress could pass a joint resolution to prevent a final regulation from taking effect.

a link to the entire article: http://www.military....00.html?wh=news

Edited June 4, 2010 by JustPLS

[BW326]

How to quickly find Your Congressman.and send him your comments on SA4222

Since Senator Webb's Amendment is going directly to the 111th Congress for review it's best to send an email directly to 'your' representative congressman… here's a quick way to do that that only requires your zip code.

(1)You'll need your zip code + 4-digit extension. If you don't already have it, look it up here first before going to the next link

(US Post Office Lookup site) http://www.usps.com/zip4

(2) Now, send your congressman (he's the one who actually represents the household where you live and is part of the 111th Congress reviewing this amendment)

(Go to this link, enter the zip+4 and you're ready to send your comments)

https://writerep.hou...p/welcome.shtml

Feel free to pass these instructions on to every veteran's organization you can.

[Lorraine]

Lorraine: The answer to your question is that the Admendment SA 4222 proposed by Senator Inouye for Senator Webb passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent on 5/27/2010.

Thanks for the info - UNANIMOUS vote in the Senate? - that's just disgusting. Time to get those letters flying!

Lorraine

Lorraine: The answer to your question is that the Admendment SA 4222 proposed by Senator Inouye for Senator Webb passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent on 5/27/2010.

Thanks for the info - UNANIMOUS vote in the Senate? - that's just disgusting. Time to get those letters flying!

Lorraine

[JRW]

the consensus on another forum is that Webb's amendment will not change anything. what is the consensus here as to when compensation might appear and will it be retroactive to application or ruling? I think ruling.

I'm thinking around mid-fall this year. I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say retroactive to the application date, rather than the ruling date.

[hawkfire27]

My Letter to my congressman:

I spent over a thousand day in vietnam, three different tours serving my country. I had my first heart attack when I was thirty nine and supporting 5 children on my own, trying to deal with disability PTSD at the time when VA refused to acknowledge PTSD. Now nearly 40 years after I have left vietnam, three heart attack and a 5way bypass surgery all before the age of 45, the VA is admitting something I knew a long time ago. That my heart disease is associated with Agent Orange exposure.

I am EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED that you took part and provided no opposition for and in fact voted for the recent amendment proposed by Senetor WEBB, Amendment SAMT 4222, to amend H.R. 4899, the Agent Orange Equity Act. IN an attempt to prevent and/or draw out what has already been an extremely long wait for veterans and their surviving spouse for the recognition that a lot of veterans may not have died IN service but we are dying by the hundreds of thousands OF service to our countries.

You speak alot about how you are here for the veterans of New Mexico. Yet you vote against us, our families, and the promise America made to us when we wrote the blank check to the government saying, up to and including my life. I would really love an explanation as to why you think another 60 day delay is necessary, the proposed regulations were already days late according to what law allows, and now congress is trying to delay it further. I ask for what reason! Why is it that the VA can make so many errors in favor if the government and nothing is done despite thousands of veterans laying complaints, but when it comes to giving veterans what they deserve and have been promised the government goes out of it's way to make us feel worthless, and undeserving. THERE IS NOT ONE VETERAN IN THIS COUNTRY THAT IS UNDESERVING! and I would have thought you would know better than to vote against veterans as you have done! As my representative in the government it is imperative that you understand who it is you are representing. This is why I write you today. I understand I am one of many voices in Southern new mexico that you represent, but it is my duty as a citizen of the US and as a resident of Southern new mexico to live up to my responsibilities also and speak out against the recent actions by congress to undermine the health and welfare of Veterans in this country. I fulfill my obligation by this letter, as the constitution allows.

[DuRock]

How to quickly find Your Congressman.and send him your comments on SA4222

Since Senator Webb's Amendment is going directly to the 111th Congress for review it's best to send an email directly to 'your' representative congressman… here's a quick way to do that that only requires your zip code.

(1)You'll need your zip code + 4-digit extension. If you don't already have it, look it up here first before going to the next link

(US Post Office Lookup site) http://www.usps.com/zip4

(2) Now, send your congressman (he's the one who actually represents the household where you live and is part of the 111th Congress reviewing this amendment)

(Go to this link, enter the zip+4 and you're ready to send your comments)

https://writerep.hou...p/welcome.shtml

Feel free to pass these instructions on to every veteran's organization you can.

Thanks for the info, it was quick and easy to write my congressman.

DuRock

[Berta]

Posted 06 June 2010 - 03:32 PM

View Post25thinfdivpio, on 06 June 2010 - 08:20 AM, said:

"the consensus on another forum is that Webb's amendment will not change anything. what is the consensus here as to when compensation might appear and will it be retroactive to application or ruling? I think ruling."

"I'm thinking around mid-fall this year. I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say retroactive to the application date, rather than the ruling date."

The Nehmer COurt Order and Stipulation controls the retroactive dates of Agent Orange Claims. Not the VA.

Plenty info here on that.

We hopefully will be doing another SVR radio show on Nehmer soon.