Anyone Get Va Disability As A Camp Lejeune Water Survivor?

[Riffjunkie]

I posted the question below about my husband's kidney cancer. We just ordered his military record so we can see just when he was at Lejeune. Next step is to pursue the VA disability. (He already has SSD).

My question is: Was anyone out there able to get VA disability based solely on injury (delayed ) from the water at Camp Lejeune??

We have already sent info to the attorneys doing the class action suit re: Camp Lejeune.

Thanks for any input at all!!!

[Berta]

I read BVA decisions every week and am unaware of any veteran at all who got SC from the LeJeune water fiasco.

If a single vet succeeds on a claim like that-it will hit the vet orgs and I will hear of it right away-

I dont foresee this happening however for a long time.

SSA doesnt look for Nexus as VA does- however is there anything whatsoever in this SSA records (that would include his SMRs) to suggest any connection?)

I think claims like this regardless of the litiagation will take a strong environmental specialist to render a medical opinion as to nexus and claimed disability.

BTW all- the BVA obtained an environmental expert's opinion on a difficult case.

The claim had been supported with the veteran's IMO and the VA expert went against the claim-

I forget if it was AO out of Nam claim or not-think so-

The veteran got another IMO however that fully trumped the VA expert from VACO.

(VA Central)

Years ago I trumped a VACO expert- it wasn't hard to do-it takes evidence-

credible and probative evidence that cannot be manipulated by VA to be anything other than what it is-

the expert had never received from the RO the most significant evidence needed. VARO said it did not exist.

I faxed it to VACO- the RO had received and lost it already 12 times.

I was granted my claim as soon as they got it in DC.

If you can obtain medical evidence as to what he was exposed to at Le Jeune and that this exposure caused his disability- that is a potential awarded claim.

But this is a very high mountain to climb.

Edited June 22, 2007 by Berta

[Riffjunkie]

Berta,

Here's the thing. Normally, kidney tumors that are cancer (and most of them are) occur in only one kidney. Art had tumors in BOTH kidneys. When they occur in both, it is either genetic or environmental. The doctors at the Cleveland Clinic suspected he had Birt-Hogg Dube Syndrome, which is a rare genetic disease. They sent him for thorough testing at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. After two lengthy visits there over a span of two years, and DNA testing of his tumors, they RULED out a genetic component. We have all the paperwork.

What does BVA stand for?

Thank you!!!