hypertension Agent Orange Presumptions Why The Delay?

[allan]

Agent Orange presumptions why the delay???

Posted on July 28, 2009 by stimeling

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) announced Friday,July 24th, there is a possible connection between exposure to Agent Orange and both Parkinson's Disease and Ischemic Heart Disease. In a similar report issued in 2006, the IOM determined a connection between Agent Orange exposure and Hypertension. The VA has yet to acknowledge this link and make Hypertension a presumptive illness.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) announced Friday there is a possible connection between exposure to Agent Orange and both Parkinson's Disease and Ischemic Heart Disease. In a similar report issued in 2006, the IOM determined a similar connection between Agent Orange exposure and Hypertension. The VA has yet to acknowledge this link and make Hypertension a presumptive illness.As a presumptive illness, all the veteran who suffers from the condition needs to do is establish he served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975. There are other areas where Agent Orange was used where the presumptive illness rules apply Korea near the DMZ is one.Since the IOM has established at least an increase in occurrence of these conditions in veterans who served in Vietnam, why then is there no presumption of service connection for veterans afflicted with these conditions?Quite simply the answer is MONEY! The Secretary of the VA cannot afford to grant presumptive status for these conditions. It would destroy his budget. The large increase in health care services within the VA budget would be wiped out immediately! This is the problem. While we all agree that our veterans deserve the best of health care from the VA, Congress has not and apparently will not consider fully funding the VA. Their failure to do so creates a system that is dependent upon a budget that has been below needs almost every year for at least a decade. Last year's budget was $3 billion short.A document prepared in June of 2005 by the Democratic staff of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee a snapshot of what shortfalls in the budget do to care for our veterans.

• Fifty percent of all the veterans receiving home health care through the San Antonio VAMC will now have to fend for themselves. This cost-cutting measure means that some 250 veterans, including those with spinal cord injuries, will no longer be provided this care.
  
  • Veterans in need of outpatient psychiatric treatment at the Portland facility are on a waiting list because of the budget shortfall.
    

  [*]As a result of cost cutting measures to make up for the shortfall in FY 2005, the Portland, Oregon, VAMC is delaying all non-emergent surgery by at least six months. For example, veterans in need of knee replacement surgery won't be treated because of the budget shortfall. Cut like this would be commonplace if the presumptions for Parkinson's, Ischemic Heart Disease and hypertension were granted. The solution is to fully fund the VA Health Care system. Let the administrators of all VA facilities know that they are to provide the veterans with Quality health care at all times. This is in direct conflict with the current policies of delaying or refusing to treat veterans because of budget constraints.

  Congress does not appear to want to provide full funding. When given the option of full funding and advanced appropriations they chose advanced appropriations. Advanced appropriations will not fix the VA budget! Only full funding will. We as veterans must unite in an effort to convince the Congress and the President that the VA must be fully funded.

  http://www.veteranstoday.com/article8124.html

Edited July 29, 2009 by allan

[john999]

My shrink at the VA says he refuses to sign off on giving psychotherapy. He says that 15 minutes every 3 months is not psychotherapy, and he is right. If you have problems you will never get real improvement depending on the VA. They are just pill pushers. Not every problem can be solved by taking a drug. My shrink tells me jokes because we both know that what we are doing is BS. I get pills and then see him 3 months later. What a joke.

[Berta]

Re" the 'delay' part of this post-

this is all a LONNNNNNGGGGG way from becoming AO presumptive ( Heart disease, Parkinsons and HBP)- read Larry Scott's comment's as well as those of some vets and my comment too under the story on IOM report at VA Watchdog.com.

[john999]

It is about money. That is all it is about. If VA makes heart disease presumptive for AO it will cost the VA millions and millions of bucks in compensation and DIC. They don't want that and will do anything to delay that outcome. I hope I am wrong, but I think they learned from the DMII AO presumption. That will cost them major bucks. The public wants us vets to be taken care of, but congress has other uses for tax dollars. Our enemies are sitting in D.C. helping themselves to taxpayer's money. That is all politicians.

[Pete53]

So if they can come up with bailout money for millionairs why not come up with money for sick Veterans.