Trying To Help My Dad With His Claim

[Kovacic]

Hi, my dad is retired from the USA and received 10% disability for a laminectomy due to a malignant giant cell tumor sheath-9 bone level. The laminectomy was in 1971, after he had served three months TDY in 1963 and 19 months with the 1st Infantry Division and the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division from November 1965 to May/June 1967. He was in the ARmy for 26 years. He is now 80 years old, and is severely suffering with skin cancer, kidney stones, severe neck and shoulder arthritis, erectile dysfunction (for 18 years--he just admitted this to me) and occasional fecal incontinence. He has filed several claims with the VA for an increase in disability to no avail. He has talked to the assistance officer here at the VA in Montgomery, Alabama, and all he told him was that he had to show an increase in his pain medication to get compensated. My dad rarely takes pain medication; he is a product of the Depression Era and a former Army colonel and paratrooper who does not believe in prescription pain drugs. He takes Aleve and Advil, but the pain is so terrible that he often stays up all night. Here is the latest we received from the VA:

"We may consider that you skin cancer is associated with dioxin exposure if you send us scientific or medical evidence showing that your claimed condition is medically associated with dioxin exposures."

"Send us medical evidence that shows the diagnosis and earliest symptoms for each disability below that resulted from your exposure to herbicides:

skin cancer: we need medial evidence that shows your skin condition was present during the first year after your last service in Vietnam

fecal incontinence and erectile dysfunction: we need evidence showing that these existed from military service to the present time.

My dad has submitted ALL medical records we have been able to located. We went through the proper channels to secure all of VA records. We have copies of everything, except some that the clearinghouse could not find from when he was stationed at Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, GA (he had some of the skin cancer removed there). They have not been able to locate those, or any medical records from Vietnam when his kidney stones were so terrible.

Any advice will be appreciated. I think from this letter that they are at least considering it; we just can't seem to provide them with enough evidence.

Thanks so much, and God Bless to all of you.

Tina