Va Links Brain Cancer To Agent Orange Exposure In Recent Court Decision

[Tbird]

It is notoriously difficult for veterans to get their disabilities connected to their military service - even when the connection is apparent. In this unique case, the Department of Veterans Affairs was made to concede a very important connection and gave justice to a struggling widow. Read Full Story

[john999]

Tbird

That is an amazing story. I think eventually AO will be the cause of death of every living Vietnam vet. As long as the VA can spin it out they save money by not making connections between AO and all sorts of cancers.

[Berta]

It is unusual and interesting but this widow had a significant medical opinion that weighed the scales in her favor.

There are at least 2 other BVA decisions over the years where the BVA conceded that AO had caused a non presumptive disability-based on significant medical opinions.

It doesn't happen often.

Our former member Emily proved that her husband's inservice syphilis caused his heart disease death and was awarded DIC.

And another widow proved her husband's cancer was caused by a rare cancer found in a Korean village which he was stationed near.

"Sheree countered with a medical assessment which argued that there was an abundance of research into the relationship between GM and Agent Orange. In a recent decision, the Board of Veterans' Appeals decided that the evidence in favor and against were in equal weight and applied the benefit of the doubt rule and on January 26th, 2011 granted Sheree’s claim. While this is not a precedential decision, VA did admit a link between the two."

I feel the article is slightly misleading- VA did admit a link between the two but only in this specific veteran's case.

Then again I am sure they made the point that this is a non precedential decision.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Berta

[NamTanker]

We need to connect Agent Orange and Brain Cancer together. I've been compiling a list of Nam Vets that have been diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme Stage 4 Brain Cancer (GBM-4). Finding more every few days to add to my list. How can we get the VA to come clean and help these Nam Vets and their wives?

[SP4RVN1971]

With my Prostate Cancer on the rise, the Doctor's at MD Anderson Cancer Center said that the PC will go to bones or main body part's as the mutation of the cell causing brain, lungs,ETC. The good part is that MD Anderson is looking at everything, leaving no stone's unturned!There is a connection for AO!

Edited September 21, 2011 by SP4RVN1971

[john999]

Consider once again that the VA does not do their own research on AO. That is done by IOM when they get the grant money. I think every cancer should be presumptive for AO since AO contains dioxins. What I think does not count. If the whole presumptive process goes slowly thousands of RVN vets willl be buried without compensation. This makes many people happy.

[SP4RVN1971]

This goverment is hoping for many to die, once again they are trying to forget vietman veterans. I lost two vietnam's vet's friends this year, one to brain cancer and the other to heart attack.