diabetes Va Press Release On Ao

[Berta]

"VA Begins Paying Benefits for New Agent Orange Claims

VA Encourages Affected Vietnam Veterans to File Claims

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun

distributing disability benefits to Vietnam Veterans who qualify for

compensation under recently liberalized rules for Agent Orange exposure.

"The joint efforts of Congress and VA demonstrate a commitment to

provide Vietnam Veterans with treatment and compensation for the

long-term health effects of herbicide exposure," said Secretary of

Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

Up to 200,000 Vietnam Veterans are potentially eligible to receive VA

disability compensation for medical conditions recently associated with

Agent Orange. The expansion of coverage involves B-cell (or hairy-cell)

leukemia, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease.

Shinseki said VA has launched a variety of initiatives - both

technological and involving better business practices - to tackle an

anticipated upsurge in Agent Orange-related claims.

"These initiatives show VA's ongoing resolve to modernize its processes

for handling claims through automation and improvements in doing

business, providing Veterans with faster and more accurate decisions on

their applications for benefits," Shinseki said.

Providing initial payments - or increases to existing payments - to the

200,000 Veterans who now qualify for disability compensation for these

three conditions is expected to take several months, but VA officials

encourage all Vietnam Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and

suffer from one of the three diseases to make sure their applications

have been submitted.

VA has offered Veterans exposed to Agent Orange special access to health

care since 1978, and priority medical care since 1981. VA has been

providing disability compensation to Veterans with medical problems

related to Agent Orange since 1985.

In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and

who have a "presumed" illness do not have to prove an association

between their illnesses and their military service. This "presumption"

simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.

The three new illnesses - B-cell (or hairy-cell) leukemia, Parkinson's

disease and ischemic heart disease - are added to the list of presumed

illnesses previously recognized by VA.

Other recognized illnesses under VA's "presumption" rule for Agent

Orange are:

* Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy

* Chloracne

* Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

* Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)

* Hodgkin's Disease

* Multiple Myeloma

* Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

* Porphyria Cutanea Tarda

* Prostate Cancer

* Respiratory Cancers

* Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma,

Kaposi's sarcoma, or Mesothelioma)

* AL Amyloidosis

Veterans interested in applying for disability compensation under one of

the three new Agent Orange presumptives should go to

www.fasttrack.va.gov <http://www.fasttrack.va.gov/> or call

1-800-827-1000. "

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[stillhere]

Well this is fine and dandy!! At least it is better than the response I got from Iris today! I believe just like you mentioned a couple of months ago about your answer from NVSLP. This is going to take a while months maybe years! Who the hell knows? Meanwhile more veterans will be dying and the VA can be proud of themselves for saving the country a few bucks!

This should have been given priority back in Oct. of 09! If it had not been for webb I wonder where we would have been by now??

I am just as pissed for those that now have to wait as can be!!

[SLEDGE]

Based upon the track record of the VA and congress, I'll believe their rhetoric when I see the positive results.

What they are really after is more data for their studies on toxic chemical exposure.

How's it feel to be a lab rat?

sledge

[Dak To II ATC]

Here comes the avalanche. Both my claims have moved to notification phase. No idea of the decision but I can sure find a different hobby now rather than watching the internet and hoping the eagle flies.

Good luck to all.