Ailing Vietnam Vets Hunt Through Ships’ Logs to Prove They Should Get Benefits

[toddt]

https://www.propublica.org/article/vietnam-vets-hunt-through-ships-logs-to-prove-they-should-get-benefits

[Berta]

Thanks for the link.

The VA ships lists have grown considerably solely due to vets scouring those logs and getting buddy statements, and doing whatever they could to prove their ship was exposed to AO.

Many vets here have had to approach their 201 files and STRs the same way to gain SC.

What bothers me the most is how many Blue Waters probably still don't know about the VA's AO ship's list.

There are also surely Nehmer vets out there or their survivors who don't realize ,if they have an AO presumptive, that they can claim it. 

Or probably many of their survivors do not have a clue on all this.

It seems to me the Legion and DAV etc etc should do far more outreach on this.

[FormerMember]

The reason Vets don't know about the AO ship's list is that VSOs haven't been briefed in on it. Hell, a gal came to my site today and she tells me when they asked about the Vet's c-file, the VSO rep said he'd never heard of one.

http://asknod.org/2016/03/08/veterans-service-officer-c-file-never-heard-of-that-one/

[Berta]

GEEZ.......

then again actually I am not too surprised.

Many years ago, probably the last time I was at my former vet rep's office I mentioned the Blue Water Navy AO situation and the reps  had no idea what I was talking about.

It was the same day I asked where the VBM was , ... I had been buying 2 and donating one VBM to them every year.

They had put it into an office upstairs in the building where it was completely inaccessible for veterans.

And of course none of the vet reps had ever used it.

And they had never heard of the Chronic Presumptives either, let alone BWN vets.

We claimants are the best VSOs we will ever get....when we are willing to do everything it takes, to win our claims.