‘Blue Water’ Navy Veterans’ Long Waits Often End In Denials At Va

[justrluk]

McClatchy Newspapers (mcclatchydc.com)
March 26, 2013

‘Blue Water’ Navy Veterans’ Long Waits Often End In Denials At VA

http://mcclatchydc.com/2013/03/26/186962/blue-water-navy-veterans-long.html#storylink=misearch

By Beena Raghavendran, McClatchy Newspapers

[jbasser]

AO SUBIC Bay. If that's the case, every freakin west coast sailor would qualify.

Orange striped barrels on the Pier?

Does any one else remember these.

I smell a Rat here.

J

[Chuck75]

Subic Bay had a fire fighting school. Residuals from the waste fuels used to create the training fires.might have included Dioxin.

The other contaminants would be those typical of any major Navy base that existed after WWII to modern times.

[jbasser]

Oil based products were used. I don't think any other chemicals were used. Even if they were, the Students were wearing OBA's and heavy gear so I doubt they were exposed to any chemicals.

The Applicators used by the teams were so powerful that the heat was directed away from the team. You could actually breath behind an applicator if you had to use it to escape or your OBD went bad.

J

[stillhere]

Not sure about this. Just seems like another thing to slow down well founded claims by Vietnam vets!

[Berta]

Yeah men …...this does not make sense:

“Bauman receives some care from a VA medical center, but he’s counting on Agent Orange disability benefits to pay for his medications. His claims for benefits were denied twice because he didn’t have “boots on the ground,” meaning he didn’t step onto land or in inland rivers.

He then took his case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which he won this past summer. Now the Board of Veterans’ Appeals is looking for proof that Bauman was directly exposed to Agent Orange during the war. If he eventually receives benefits, he said, that might set a precedent for other blue water veterans.

“It’s a bit frustrating, but at least it’s still going,” Bauman said. “I’m still fighting for it.”

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/03/26/186962/blue-water-navy-veterans-long.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

"which he won this past summer" say what?

If he WON why didnt this get around the electronic community??????

And why did it go back to the BVA??????

BWN advocates are fighting relentlessly for equity for BWN vets and AO. This story doesnt make sense.

I am a member of Joh Rossie's BWNVVA:

“The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association estimates that if the bill eventually does pass, about 50,000 to 60,000 blue water veterans will apply for benefits, said John Rossie, the association’s executive director. He said he was confident that funding for the legislation wouldn’t exceed $2 billion over 10 years.

The lack of official details of each veteran’s activity during the war makes formulating a concrete number of blue water Navy veterans impossible, especially when narrowing data to a very specific group of Navy veterans. Rossie estimates that about 100,000 or fewer veterans served in the blue water Navy.

“There was no one particular place that was required to keep track of it all,” Rossie said.”

True and this is why BWN vets need LOTS of proof of exposure to AO.

The AO barrels looked a certain way ,but describing a barrel that leaked, does NOT mean it was the AO.

I will look up this court case later and see what the heck he 'won'..I think he might have gotten a joint remand.

If he WON he wouldnt be griping to the press.He wouldnt be back at the BVA either.

Something is wrong here.

[Berta]

Update:

Robert M Bauman V Shinseki , 12-0053

https://efiling.uscourts.cavc.gov/cmecf/servlet/TransportRoom?servlet=ShowDoc&dls_id=01202089750&caseId=72010&dktType=dktPublic

He was granted a motion for expedited treatment by the court but this was a REMAND from the US CAVC

and not a WIN.

Bauman STILL has to proof exposure to Agent Orange.

Geeezzz........this stuff is frustrating.