Great News For Heart Ao Vets!

[stillhere]

Door Opens To Health Claims Tied To Agent Orange

By James Dao

Under rules to be proposed this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to add Parkinson's disease, ischemic heart disease and hairy-cell leukemia to the growing list of illnesses presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange, the toxic defoliant used widely in Vietnam.

The proposal will make it substantially easier for thousands of veterans to claim that those ailments were the direct result of their service in Vietnam, thereby smoothing the way for them to receive monthly disability checks and health care services from the department.

The new policy will apply to some 2.1 million veterans who set foot in Vietnam during the war, including those who came after the military stopped using Agent Orange in 1970. It will not apply to sailors on deep-water ships, though the department plans to study the effects of Agent Orange on the Navy.

[Berta]

I have received numerous emails on this and it is even at VA Watchdog-

I am only cautiously optimistic about all this-

I guess the HBP AO fiasco that grew out of a news story 2 years ago made me very cautious of this stuff.

WOuld it be wonderful? YES!!!!

But I am thinking that the word ischemia for the cardio condition could limit many claims. and I also assume that the HBP would still need to be directly linked to the ischematic heart disease.

The veterans internet community is rolling with this news story- hope we hear something from VA, DAV, VFW or AL on it.....

[Berta]

PS I dont think HBP is even mentioned in this story about a 'proposed rule' but vets are adding HBP to it as it makes the airwaves-

[Berta]

WOW_ Thank you J BASSER for posting the VA press release!!!!!!!!

It is TRUE!!!!! sorry if I seemed reluctant in past post to whoop ti dooo- but it IS TRUE!!!!!

http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1796

WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!