The Va Continues To Lie!

[retiredat44]

I sent this to my service officer to clear up some of the continuing lies, from the VA, in my claims:

I Steven *** have been trying to get this claim problem straightened out with the VA, since my first claims filed, since my first claims in the 1990's. There is either a misunderstanding, or the VA is a purposely refusing to acknowledge that I worked with and was sickened by all of the following chemicals on active duty.

Gasoline (Leaded), Jet-Fuel, Diesel Fuel, Trichloroethylene.

I worked as a Fuels Specialist, and worked with Gasoline (leaded), Jet-Fuel, Diesel Fuel daily. I was soaked in those chemicals daily. I was sickened by those chemicals, and the U.S.A.F. doctors determined they made me very sick. The command was notified, and I was removed from that job. I was placed in a new job, at a weather squadron, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. My duty had no chemical exposure. After a few weeks I was told to report to a new job. I was again working with petroleum chemicals (Trichloroethylene), which were used to clean printing presses. I again became very sick. I had no choice but to leave the U.S.A.F. because I had lost all jobs due to illnesses from chemicals. (5 years active duty).

When I claimed for V.A. disability, I told the VA it was for all of the chemicals. Every decision the V.A. denies, they only deny Jet-Fuel related claims. They always fail to discuss all of the chemicals which made me sick. I told the V.A. so many times, I cannot count the times. At the DRO hearing (San Diego), I told them over and over about all of the chemicals. I told the DRO hearing that the other fuels were also a part of my every day contact, and that I was soaked in them every day. I was soaked in them from filling fuel tanks, with open and closed nozzles, distributing fuels, testing fuels, leaky valves, and more. My clothing and skin were soaked every day on active duty with these chemicals.

I was then again soaked with Trichloroethylene from cleaning printing presses, the injuring continued from exposure (Repro-graphics specialist).

The headaches, the extremely swollen skin and limbs. So swollen, that my limbs were bleeding from the skin unable to expand further.

I want this part of the record. I have made printed and oral statements to correct the record with V.A. claims, but every attempt has been ignored.

Please, finally make this part of the record. Add it to or find the records, if my earlier statement were destroyed, ignored, whatever. I am pleading for this to be done honestly and correctly, as this misunderstanding is from no-fault of my own, I am not a lawyer, and have no idea how to make sure these omissions by the V.A. can be corrected by any others way, except to make again one more statement, among many, about this huge problem with my claim not handled properly.

[FormerMember]

Am I missing something here? If you do not have a nexus letter (read IMO), you are not going to win. Three things we try to impress upon you.  A disease or risk (chemicals) in service, a disease now that is recognized as a cancer or skin disease associated with exposure to JP 4, benzene, Try Eth etc. and last but not least--a doctor to say it FOR you because VA will not believe it if you say it. I've had Vets who got internet articles on all kinds of stuff that generally describe certain things like this but VA and BVA judges will say it is not about you personally-it is an internet article that discusses people in general. Without your IMO, unless you have extensive service medical records showing your visits to sick call, hospitalizations, and a chronic condition  continuously since service to now documented in post-service records, you will lose. It sounds like you have all the ingredients. You just need to hand them to an oncologist or endocrinologist and ask them to write a letter tying the condition to service in unequivocal language. It has to be a disease or cancer to file. You can't simply file because you were exposed. 

I believe I read you had a DRO review and hearing. If you went "on the record", the hearing will be transcribed into the c-file records. This will be valuable when you get up to appeal or ask for a Travel Board Hearing.  If you went "off the record", all that testimony is lost and gone. It cannot now be introduced into the record because it was not recorded. It exists in the DRO's mind for the most part. A Travel Board Hearing can get that evidence and testimony back in if necessary. Go get an IMO pronto and fix this thing.

[ArNG11]

P.S. It's not just the VA that will fight you on this. According to  Occ. Health docs benzene, jp4 and the like don't cause the health issues you and I have. My base out right denies I ever worked the stuff.  Kid you not.

Im sure you have plenty of studies and material but I will share what I have found.

[ArNG11]

37 minutes ago, MCCFR97 said:

You lose your 13th chromosome and your DNA kinda trans rotates. (I'm not an oncologist) but I'd be happy to send you the medical info

Sweet, I would like the information very much.  I have a multi-faceted claim with DOL and I would like the insight you can provide.

My claim is directly pointed towards my time as a DOD fuels mechanic for the Air Force.  10 years total with most of that except 3 years in the tanks of KC 135's.  White cotton cover-alls is all we had, gortex was not allowed due to the static discharge potential.  Not my reasoning as I know better now and partly then, I would also document the LEL levels before anyone in the building entered the tanks myself included.

I landed in the hospital for 8 days in 2014 and caught it early enough, believe it or not, my wife nagging and a phone call from my private doc that I needed to go to the ER STAT is an understatement. I was lucky. Fit hit the shan and it was a wake up call.

My other exposure route is the burn pits from Bucca, Iraq.  That was only 10 months or so but I did have a few days of details burning everything and using jet fuel as an accelerant. The rest was secondary exposure from the smoke and fumes around the post.

Of course the issue I am having is getting a medical professional to help with this type of claim.  Heck even the ER doc who diagnosed me knew what it was and asked specifically about my burn pit exposure.  To this day makes me wonder what they knew and when.  

In any case sorry didn't mean to ramble.  Would love to take a look at your findings and resources.  Thanks.

[ArNG11]

46 minutes ago, MCCFR97 said:

Dunno if you have the same disease, but benzene is definitely a very good suspicion for this.....or they would not have pulled an oops in Lajune. Like I said, we'll see. Trust me my medical science is just a small piece of what I turned in. And it's hard for the base to deny I had contact with the chemicals when 12,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil had to be removed from my specific training area by the EPA because it was so toxic. And yes this is an EPA report that I turned in with my evidence.

Thing is, nobody on this board has come close to the same situation. At least not publicly. So it's hard for me to gauge except for ready previous BVA decisions.

I wouldn't presume that.  I haven't kept contact with any one from my unit during that deployment, however, statistically I doubt the number of folks that came down with issues is low.  Particularly the folks that were working the pits everyday for months at a time.  Thanks ahead of time.  

PM me if you don't mind.

[ArNG11]

My predominant exposure was being a Tank Rat on KC 135's  as a civilian at Tinker for almost 10 years. (9 years and some months)

[ArNG11]

Heh keep an ear out for the Circuit of Appeals case against KBR.  It is starting to get really interesting.  Would be worth your time to take a look.