Agent Orange

[rthomass]

The 110 Th Congress will be in session in January 2007.....This is the time to push for full concurrent pay, try to straighten VA out and get the Agent Orange cases awarded...not just for the Blue Water Navy but for all that served in Vietnam. Thailand, Cambodia and Laos..... Write your Senators and Represntatives!!!!!!

Here is one of the letters I wrote to my Senator: Feel Free to use it as a guide.....Nobody but you is going to help.....Do it today....raise HELL.

December 7. 2006

Honorable Senator Mitch McConnell

601 West Broadway

Suite 630

Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Re: Your Ltr. Dtd. 5 Dec 2006

Senator McConnell :

The United States Court for Veterans Claims in a decision dated August 16, 2006 “ Haas vs. Nicholson “ruled that the appellant on appeal from the Veterans Board of Appeals was entitled to a presumption of exposure to the herbicide specifically identified as Agent Orange. It further found that any veteran serving during the Vietnam Era (1962-1975) and who had been awarded the VSM “Vietnam Service Medal” was presumed to have been exposed to the herbicide commonly know as Agent Orange.

The desire of my fellow Vietnam Veterans who served during the Vietnam Era in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia as well as their territorial waters who have one of the eleven diseases set forth in 38 C.F.R. 3-309(e). be presumed to have been exposed to agent orange and awarded 100% Veterans Administration Compensation.

I propose the decision of The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims “Haas Vs. Nicholson” be a guide to re-write those portions of U.S.C. 38; 38 C.F.R.; and the Veterans Administration Adjudication Procedure Manual M21-1 by means of new legislation promulgated by the United States Congress.

I have attached the U.S. Court Of Appeals for Veterans Claims decision Haas Vs. Nichoson; National Veterans Legal Services Program additional information on exposure to agent orange.

Randall D. Thomas Sr

[Cavman]

The important issue is to add more cancers that many thousands have that should be on that list.And also one thing I haven`t seen is vets that get awarded AO benefits don`t file secondary claims for major disabilities caused by chemo & radiation. THEY DEFINATELY SHOULD!

Cavman

[Berta]

Last year I posted at hadit BVA grants of AO SC for vets who had served in Thailand, Guam, Okinawa- and also one in Korean-

In each case the veteran had considerable proof of their exposure to AO.

It is my understand that if the AO regs are changed to include Haas- they might well cover every vet who can prove exposure to AO.

There might be more recent awards like this at BVA and I will try to find them.

Edited December 9, 2006 by Berta

[JohnM]

I am trying to find anything that leeks necrosis of the bones to AO, especially knees and hips ( knee replacements have not worked and is diagnoissed with necrosis) Hope it is spelled right.

[Berta]

There is an association of necrosis to Diabetes in some abstracts on he internet.

This one- I have not read-

http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/content/citation/80/2/262

However the title indicates it might have some good information:

"Idiopathic Necrosis of Skeletal Muscle in Patients Who Have Diabetes. Report of Four Cases and Review of the Literature"

TIMOTHY A. DAMRON, E

Any association to Agent Orange would have to be an association to diabetes or to a complication of diabetes.

I found considerable information at Google as to DMII and muscle necrosis, renal palialary necrosis and Tumor necrosis.

If you type in Necrosis and diabetes a lot will pop up-however it would take a good medical opinion to show that diabetes caused this type of necrosis as a secondary condition.

It this strickly bone cell necrosis or does it involve muscular system?

Did you ever ask your doctor the etiology of this and if it is related to your diabetes?

[vietnam_war_vet]

Randall, gracias for posting this.

Now, should I dare allow my hopes to be raised again. I was an USAF radio op, served at Nankom Phanom (NKP) Air Base, did Ho Chi Minh trail interdiction missions inside of Laos, developed chloracne while I was still over there....diagnosed with DMII in the mid-90s (I'm insulin-dependent now)....went through the AO Registry exam in 1990 at the Boise VAMC and was officially placed on the DVA's AO Registry in August 1990....BUT every claim that I've submitted for chloracne and DMII has been denied.....the first denial (1985) and the most recent one (2004-05), the DVA said basically the same thing....NKP and Laos didn't count....no "boots-on-ground" within the borders of Vietnam means no AO SC claims....my VSM, RVCR be damned.

I and so many others would really love to see this injustice negated. -- Michael

The 110 Th Congress will be in session in January 2007.....This is the time to push for full concurrent pay, try to straighten VA out and get the Agent Orange cases awarded...not just for the Blue Water Navy but for all that served in Vietnam. Thailand, Cambodia and Laos..... Write your Senators and Represntatives!!!!!!

Here is one of the letters I wrote to my Senator: Feel Free to use it as a guide.....Nobody but you is going to help.....Do it today....raise HELL.

December 7. 2006

Honorable Senator Mitch McConnell

601 West Broadway

Suite 630

Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Re: Your Ltr. Dtd. 5 Dec 2006

Senator McConnell :

The United States Court for Veterans Claims in a decision dated August 16, 2006 “ Haas vs. Nicholson “ruled that the appellant on appeal from the Veterans Board of Appeals was entitled to a presumption of exposure to the herbicide specifically identified as Agent Orange. It further found that any veteran serving during the Vietnam Era (1962-1975) and who had been awarded the VSM “Vietnam Service Medal” was presumed to have been exposed to the herbicide commonly know as Agent Orange.

The desire of my fellow Vietnam Veterans who served during the Vietnam Era in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia as well as their territorial waters who have one of the eleven diseases set forth in 38 C.F.R. 3-309(e). be presumed to have been exposed to agent orange and awarded 100% Veterans Administration Compensation.

I propose the decision of The U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims “Haas Vs. Nicholson” be a guide to re-write those portions of U.S.C. 38; 38 C.F.R.; and the Veterans Administration Adjudication Procedure Manual M21-1 by means of new legislation promulgated by the United States Congress.

I have attached the U.S. Court Of Appeals for Veterans Claims decision Haas Vs. Nichoson; National Veterans Legal Services Program additional information on exposure to agent orange.

Randall D. Thomas Sr

[rthomass]

Randall, gracias for posting this.

Now, should I dare allow my hopes to be raised again. I was an USAF radio op, served at Nankom Phanom (NKP) Air Base, did Ho Chi Minh trail interdiction missions inside of Laos, developed chloracne while I was still over there....diagnosed with DMII in the mid-90s (I'm insulin-dependent now)....went through the AO Registry exam in 1990 at the Boise VAMC and was officially placed on the DVA's AO Registry in August 1990....BUT every claim that I've submitted for chloracne and DMII has been denied.....the first denial (1985) and the most recent one (2004-05), the DVA said basically the same thing....NKP and Laos didn't count....no "boots-on-ground" within the borders of Vietnam means no AO SC claims....my VSM, RVCR be damned.

I and so many others would really love to see this injustice negated. -- Michael/quote]

Michael copy my letter, make appropriate changes and send it to your Senator, Representative, the Preisdent, Veterans Committee and any other mutha you can think of.... rthomass@insightbb.com NKP 1969-9170.......