Growing Medical Bills

[edtremblay]

Hi I'm new here trying to figure out how things work so please try to bear with me . I'm a 56 year old male Army Vietnam vet with stage 4 lung cancer. I've applied for and been granted ssdi but will not receive anything until September. My VA claim is pending and that looks several months away at a minimum the bills for Chemo and Radiation add up fast and while I have health insurance there is alot unpaid does anyone know if there will be any payment of these treatments from the VA once I'm rated??? Does anyone have any resources for litigation against the manufacturers of agent orange and the other herbicides that are causing all the problems??? This is an awesome site and I'm glad to have found it I'm proud to be a member thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide.

Sincerely Ed Tremblay

and thank you to all who have already helped and will consider helping wow what a family

[Berta]

PS- maybe it is in archives-

http://www.stardustent.com/svr.htm

feel free anyone-to call into the show with their toll free number-

This is all geared to the VA claims system and the shows are great.

Wednesday Nights 6:30 EST -big station clock on line there tells you what time depending on your locale-easy to download the plug in.

On line vets chat too while show is on the air-they have given hadit plugs and I bet we got new guests from it.

Edited June 10, 2007 by Berta

[john999]

All you have to do is show that you set foot in RVN for persumption of exposure to AO. It does not matter if you have any other risk factors like smoking. Do you have something on your DD214 to state Vietnam service? There should be no question about you claim if you were in RVN. Since it is straight forward you should not have to wait that long, but with the VA you might have to do as Pete suggests and try and expedite it via whatever means you can. I would camp out at my VARO and explain how sick you are and how you need this thing done.

[edtremblay]

Thanks Pete my rep tells me my case is marked to be expidited I'm not sure I want to get in thier faces until I've been approved no need to get thier panties in a knot just yet , but once approved I'll be like a festered boil on thier butt

Welcome to Hadit. Have you asked the VA to expedite your claim? You should get the claim provided you can link it to Viet Nam which appears to be the case. Used to be you only had to show you stepped foot in Viet Nam wearing a uniform. Not sure now as the VA is also allowing blue water claims [Navy].

As far as the VA paying they probably will back to your effective date. I suggest that you go to your VA Medical Center and ask to see a VA Social Worker to see if they can help.

You should also visit the VA Fee Service people at your VA Hospital and explain that you expect your bills to be paid as soon as you are awarded your claim and ask them to help you.

Good Luck and thank you for your Service.

[free_spirit_etc]

I would keep on them about expediting the claim.

They were supposedly expediting my husband's claim...starting in July of 2006. The only movement we noticed was several form letters telling us they were "working on" his request for copies of his C-file.

He requested the copies in August 06 and died in Feb 07 - without so much as having his request for records taken care of.

So much for their expediting.

Free

Thanks Pete my rep tells me my case is marked to be expidited I'm not sure I want to get in thier faces until I've been approved no need to get thier panties in a knot just yet , but once approved I'll be like a festered boil on thier butt

[free_spirit_etc]

I knew I read something about this somewhere. It was right on the Home Page of Had it!! B)

http://www.hadit.com/

DEMOCRATIC PRESS RELEASE

May 29, 2007

AKAKA PRAISES VA AGREEMENT TO NOTIFY INJURED VETS OF POTENTIAL MEDICAL EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to a letter that U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), Chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, sent to VA Secretary James Nicholson, VA has announced will be revising veterans’ compensation award notification letters to include disclosure that, as a result of the award, medical copayments may be reduced or eliminated. Veterans have the right to request reimbursement from VA for care received prior to a decision on a compensation claim, but many veterans are not aware of this benefit.

“Given that over 25 percent of veterans seeking compensation are waiting more than six months for their claims to be adjudicated, I am pleased that VA is now fulfilling its legal responsibility to provide service-connected medical care. The out-of pocket costs paid by veterans during that waiting period can be considerable and they deserve to be compensated,” stated Akaka.

VA will inform veterans that they may contact their medical centers regarding potential refunds of out-of-pocket medical expenses, or reduced copayments, based on grants of service-connection or increased evaluation. These revised award notification letters will begin going out to veterans next month.

[edtremblay]

thanks I'll call them today

I would keep on them about expediting the claim.

They were supposedly expediting my husband's claim...starting in July of 2006. The only movement we noticed was several form letters telling us they were "working on" his request for copies of his C-file.

He requested the copies in August 06 and died in Feb 07 - without so much as having his request for records taken care of.

So much for their expediting.

Free