Agent Orange Presumptions In Jeopardy

[allan]

From: Colonel Dan <colonel-dan@sbcglobal.net> [Add to Address Book] To: Veteran Issues by Colonel Dan <VeteranIssues@yahoogroups.com> Subject: [VeteranIssues] Pass to your friends in OK! Agent Orange Presumptions In JeopardyDate: Jul 20, 2011 8:09 AM

Pass to your friends in OK..

Take action let your reps know..stop this BS

http://capwiz.com/vfw/callalert/index.tt?alertid=51700501

From: Teresa Morris [mailto:tmorris@vfw.org]

Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2011 9:04 AM

To: Dan Cedusky

Subject: VFW Action Alert: Agent Orange Presumptions In Jeopardy

VFW Action Alert: Agent Orange Presumptions In Jeopardy

Take Action!

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is adamantly opposed to an amendment proposed by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) to change the manner in which presumptive disabilities related to exposure to Agent Orange would be determined. The senator wants to require veterans to prove a positive connection between Agent Orange exposure and one or more of the 15 presumptive illnesses that the VA now recognizes. We cannot allow this amendment to pass.

Vietnam veterans have suffered long enough from the effects of exposure to Agent Orange. For decades we told the government that being exposed to Agent Orange made veterans sick. Now that the VA Secretary has determined he had the scientific evidence required to recognize the disabilities, we cannot allow a change in presumptive rules just because the government can't balance its own budget.

The cost of caring for our nation's veterans continues long after the last shots are fired. America and the United States Congress must live up to that obligation.

Please contact both your U.S. Senators today and tell them that Coburn Amendment #564 to H.R. 2055 is a deal breaker with America's veterans.

__._,_.___ "Keep on, Keepin' on"

Dan Cedusky, Champaign IL "Colonel Dan"

See my web site at:

http://www.angelfire.com/il2/VeteranIssues/

http://www.facebook.com/dan.cedusky

[broncovet]

Agent Orange presumptions are pretty much "pie in the sky" very similar to the "quality of life 25% across the board increase". The AO presumptive Vets merely got in a very long and getting longer waiting list for Va to process the claims. Result: No more Vets get their benefits, as the VA is maxed out, the only thing that happens is the waiting list got longer for everyone.

While I would like to see AO presumptions, until/unless the backlog problem is fixed the net result is that the same number of Vets get benefits now as got them before AO presumptions. If the VA can process 1000 claims in a day, and they add 100,000 new AO claims and dont increase the number proccessed per day, then a net of "0" Veterans get additional benefits as a result of Agent Orange presumptives. In other words, if 1000 Vets per day get benefits before AO presumptives and 1000 Vets per day get benefits after AO, then zero Vets benefit by AO presumptives. That is, for every AO VEt awarded benefits, another Vets claim gets delayed. AO claimants "compete" with other Vets for the limited resources. Its a "logjam" where only so many claims are processed in a day, and it just makes the backlogs bigger.

According to a federal judge in one year (2007) at least 1400 Vets died waiting on the VA to process their claims in appeals ONLY. More die waiting for an initial decision, too. I am sure this number is higher now, because the backlog is bigger and Vets are older.

[john999]

There have been AO presumptives since the 1980's. AO presumptives are easy to adjudicate. All you need is the presumptive disease and proof you had either "boots on the ground" in Vietnam, or some other AO area. It is crazy to say AO presumptives are slowing down the process. Thousands of vets have died while waiting for their particular condition to become presumptive. Thousands of spouses must try and get DIC years later. Resources may be limited when it comes to paying claims, but they were unlimited when it came to sending military into AO soaked regions, and exposing them to cancer and numbers of other fatal disease. I don't see AO claims freezing out other vets claims. These are claims that should have been addressed 30 years ago. The blame is on the VA and U.S. Government for failing its veterans. The idea that AO claims are like pie in the sky is weird. AO claims are a reality.

[Papa]

It really bugs the cr** out of me, when some one takes a proposal from a Congressman that has about as much chance of even being brought to the house floor as I do of growing about 8 inches and being slim. This is awful rumors and fear mongering. When and if it does hit the floor, then we can fight like hell. There are way too many areas in the budget that we can cut before they even dream of touching us Vets. Saw in the paper yesterday that the National Institute of Health is doing a study on the size of Gay males' privates. Like I said there are a lot more places to cut (no pun intended).

Papa

[evandc]

The amendment was tabled 69-30 & 1 Senator not voting.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=112&session=1&vote=00114

So what load of crap can they drag out next to upset some more vets. Run it up the flag & see what reaction we get from the veterans. That's the drill.

[Papa]

From what I read this was part of Rep. Coburn's proposal. Did not realize that it hit the Senate already had this and voted on it.

Papa

[Papa]

My mistake. It is Sen. Colburn not Rep. Colburn.

Papa