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Hi, Berta (everyone), I am curious if there’s any instructions on how to go about: DIC is granted & accrued / death pension benefits are denied. My VA rep (Colorado VA office), recently explained to me that my mom was awarded DIC benefits ( I filed on her behalf ), effective the day of his death (my dad died Dec.30, 2017) of... 1-Pneumonia 2-COPD 3-CAD but, we (she) was denied accrued because the Army / VA did not owe him any money, since he never filed for benefits while alive. While that part is true, he never filed because he was told he did not have agent orange, he was told he “wasn’t in the right theater”, course that “theater” explanation is false. Vietnam establishes theater now, period. My dad was on ground (in air) for a year. Further my dad’s records I received from archives (medals included) do not have a lot of information in them. I have a hard time understanding what they do say. My dad was 191st Military Intellegence, not sure if that is why I have trouble making sense of the records they gave me or if that has anything to do with why I had such a trouble free approval on DIC portion of our claim (approved first time & expedited approval within 3 months)..to which we are grateful. However, I have an original document from 1989 that reads, “ In regards to YOU’RE request to be tested for agent orange...Donald L. Welch...” (my dad)..you’re appointment is scheduled for ...1989 at ... etc. then written in red pen on the top of the document is written “6-8 weeks”. I prusume his “testing” (set for an entire day 8am-6pm) did not inform my dad he had exposure, because he then would have filed! Yet, clearly he did (death certificate reads CAD) & DIC awarded for presumptive CAD! Throughout his lengthy medical history of: Arteries blocked (multiple), Surgical stents, cardiac-arrest, COPD, bronchitis-chronic, lung problems, etc. He believed he did not qualify for benefits. Months before his death he went to VA medical at his brothers insistence & on the way home from getting RX (for the first time ever from the VA) he told his brother he was told he wasn’t in the “theater” for agent orange benefits. By the time he got his first RX delivered through the mail...he was dead....of CAD. How do I prove establish that he would have filed for benefits (as far back as 1989, document attached), if they had not told him he didn’t qualify & wasn’t exposed? How do I get addditional records when he was military intelligence? I can’t even find out what battles, his medal citations are even from. I also know his helicopter crashed while he was in Vietnam and his back had either whipping marks or shrapnel scarred all over it...I want to know why. No records if him being a POW. Can anyone link me in the right direction? I’ll have to figure out how to attach documents to post- will follow through.

Lost and confused... In the big bad VA world... Ask three people, get three different answers... This is a long post, but it wanted to be all inclusive On behalf of my Vietnam Veteran father, USAF, Decorated rescue helicopter pilot, 21 years... I ask the following series of questions, that I am unable to get a "clear" answer from any person on the other end of a phone at a VA call center or RO, or VSO. Sometimes I feel like I know more than they do?! Help....... He has been rated 100% SC P and T for 2 years for CAD, following placement of 3rd stint, after many years at combined rating 60% for hypertension, tinnitus, perforation of ear drum, mastoiditis. Two months prior to the 100% rating he developed AO related limited stage Small cell lung cancer. He was temporarily rated at an additional 100% for this during treatment for 6 months., housebound also awarded for six months. After the 6 months he was dropped to 0% due to lack of diseases present. He NEVER went in for any follow up C & P exam for " residuals" of the cancer treatments, both chemo and 10 brain stem radiation PCI treatments. He was feeling "good" and was happy to be beating this horrible odds cancer. I wasn't in the loop about how he followed up with his medical care until most recently, as his condition , 2 1/2 years past treatment now has begun to deteriorate on all levels, physical, cognitive and mental. He now has bowel and bladder incontinence , mobility limitations (walker), soon wheelchair,, and difficulty with communication and speech ( almost Parkinsonism in nature), COPD, asthma , non diabetic Peripheral neuropathy and Oxygen therapy 24 hours a day at 2L at rest. Seems like a no brainer, Problem being.... Aside from the incontinence (which in and of itself is demoralizing for him) , he had pre existing degrees of all the conditions listed that we're not on file at the VA because he didn't think they were service connected , but NOW they are debilitating and most certainly exacerbated by the "temporary" service connected active lung cancer and treatment., now rated at 0%. I have requests out to his private sector doctors for records as well as applicable DBQ's , as well as a housebound and aid and attendance form completed by his primary care physician. So finally to my ultimate question, are these secondary to his lung cancer disease or residuals, ? Which form(s) should we file, use Ebenefits. ? , FDC? Everyone I have spoken to on the "help" lines gives me a different answer,,, this is my favorite,.. " he's already rated at 100%, you can't get anymore than that"? WHAT ?! How about SMC, housing grants (SC respiratory conditions), added conditions for eventual DIC for spouse.? Etc.... Am I crazy or headed in the right direction? He spent over 1000 days in Vietnam flying through Agent Orange in a helicopter., ....I need... Help.. Thank you