Veterans Lawyer Foresees Long Waits After Agent Orange Case

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This article was posted today 12/28/10 on LawFirmNewsWire.com

http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com/2010/12/veterans-lawyer-foresees-long-waits-after-agent-orange-case/

It makes this allegation:

"More than 163,000 veterans or survivors of veterans have a pending claim related to these diseases. The VA hopes to have them all paid out by October of 2011. To meet this goal, some believe the VA has given special attention to the new cases and other veterans may see longer waiting times as a result. We have been hearing from the VA that the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has told it to process these claims prior to ruling on other claims," said James G. Fausone, a veterans lawyer who works for Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC. "As a result, we have been receiving word from local Regional Offices that the normal 'slow' process at VA has been slowed even further because the VA has been focusing on these claims and not working on the other claims."

My claim involves one of the three new disease, hairy cell leukemia, in addition to prostate cancer, but I wouldn't go so far as to say my claim has been given priority what with it pending since August 2009. I did finally have a C&P exam November 29, 2010 which addressed only prostate cancer residuals since my treatment in 2005, but didn't touch on any of my other impairments, perhaps because they already have all they need on the leukemia, etc. No one would tell me why the C&P covered only prostate cancer residuals. I could only hope it was because they didn't need anything other than that. I don't expect to get a decision before February 2011. I have the feeling they scheduled me for the C&P when they did only because I contacted my U.S. Senator asking his veterans caseworker to check on it after I got very little information from my calls to the 800#. I probably should have also done an IRIS contact, but will do that if I don't hear something by end of February which will make it 19 months pending.

I have confidence I'll get a decision sooner or later. I'd prefer to be still living at the time.