News on 3 potential new presumptives

[Berta]

"Several years after a scientific body recommended that the Department of Veterans Affairs consider adding four conditions — bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, hypertension and Parkinson's-like symptoms — to the list of qualifying diseases tied to Agent Orange, affected veterans may soon find out whether they are eligible for disability compensation and VA health care. During a Senate Veterans Affairs hearing March 26 on the VA budget, Dr. Richard Stone, the executive in charge of the Veterans Health Administration, said a decision on the three illnesses likely would come in the next 90 days. Read more about upcoming decision on Military.com."

https://www.military.com/military-report/va-announce-decision-new-agent-orange-presumptive-conditions.html

 

( the Hypertension may or may not become presumptive at all. The three disabilities above might well become presumptive.

This is still all up in the air until Secretary Wilkie makes a decision.

Now is the time, if you have any of the three disabilities above, and served incountry Vietnam, or can prove exposure eslewhere, to  think about gathering  your medical records, from diagnosis to current treatment records, and also, if you have been denied in the past by VA for bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinson's like symptoms, and these appear as NSC ( not service connected with a NSC rating) on any past VA rating sheet or decision, and if Nehmer kicks in with Footnote One, ( I hope it will but that has not been determined yet) , then those records you took the time to gather,would help you get the best EED if the VA awards your claim, under the new presumptives.

If you access records from your medical record stack, it is best to make a copy of it and put the original back into the stack- or you can simply Tab anything in your medical records with a bright sticky or tab, that could be a record needed at some point for the best EED for the claim.

This news on top of the Blue Water Procopio victory ( there is another case pending as well at CAVC regarding this issue) might cause a flood of AO claims, as the 2010 regulations did.

We dont have any firm info yet on the 3 proposed presumptives. The HBP is explained in the Military.com link.

I still feel any vet with an ischemic stroke, who also had AO Ischemic heart disease granted under 2010 Nehmer, should be considered having a  AO presumptive, as a separate disability due to their IHD,  and I will write to the Secretary again about that. IHD can led to ischemia of brain. That is an established medical fact.Then again so can HBP.

Stroke was one of the other disabilities that NAM (formerly IOM) reviewed.

 

 

 

 

 

[Berta]

Has any Vietnam Vet or Blue Water veteran here written to Secretary Wilkie- to make a strong case for why their disability ( mentioned in the most recent IOM NAM report), should become an AO Presumptive?

The strongest disability, in my opinion, is HBP, and as J basser mentioned, most veterans are deemed to have "essential hypertension, meaning they VA does not know the cause.Now they do.

The Report states:

"There is sufficient evidence of an association between exposure to the chemicals of interest and the following health outcomes: Soft-tissue sarcoma (including heart) * Non-Hodgkin lymphoma * Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (including hairy cell leukemia and other chronic B-cell leukemias) * Hodgkin lymphoma Chloracne Sufficient Hypertension (category change from Limited or Suggestive in Update 2014)"

HBP  category is now "Sufficient".

https://www.nap.edu/resource/25137/111318_VAO_summary_table.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

[GBArmy]

So...June has come and gone. So has July. No new announcement from Wilkie or the VA about a decision on new A.O. presumptives? That is pretty sad. They get caught with their hand in the cookie jar and not only the court calls the VA out for giving back their A.O. coverage to BWN veterans, the Congress makes it law. Of course another delay tactic on implementing the law. What, they didn't know it was coming? Now this; another delay on what they should have made part of the presumptives in 2014, if not before. This makes me very angry. They are going to come out and say that the latest (BWN) law his such an administrative burden that they won't be able to announce anything this year. Maybe next year. Or the year after. What a joke. Delay, deny, hope they die. By the way, the last I saw on that was 523 Vietnam veterans die each day. 

[GeekySquid]

3 hours ago, GBArmy said:

This makes me very angry.

I am there with you on this type behavior from the VA. ....playing politics and bean counting with veterans lives is abhorrent to me.

[GBArmy]

Just an update, sort of. I am on an Veteran advisory committee for my congressman. (We can debate whether that is sleeping with the enemy or not some other time.) We met today and he wasn't there but I asked the status on the latest VA movement from someone I trust. I was told, albeit 3d hand, that the VA is going to announce something in October. There have been some very loud Congressmen in the background pushin Wilkie on this, so I tend to believe there is something to it. 

[GeekySquid]

1 minute ago, GBArmy said:

I am on an Veteran advisory committee for my congressman.

you might just be the right person to spearhead an idea/movement for change for vets.

What I am thinking is organizing around a campaign to attack individual barriers the VA keeps throwing up.

Doing it each and individually about each barrier.

Things that all Vets dealing with the VA face.

The first and I think "easiest" to attack and get buy in for is the Procedural Barrier to getting our C&P's, Code Sheets, DBQ's and Notes.

The focus of the idea would be to have them delivered electronically through Ebenefits and VA.gov through a Two-Step Verification. First being Sign in as we do and then Secure Text/Message with a Verification call or text just like ID.ME does and ID.me is already allowed to authenticate veterans to various VA websites.

Any interest in being the tip of a Spear on this? getting your Congressmans buy in and ability to directly present to his/her colleagues ?

[GBArmy]

Geeky, it sounds like you have the makings of a fantastic concept. I am uncomfortable about discussing the details, but I have had to cut back considerably on many activities and personal commitments over the last several months, as my wife health has gone down considerably. We are having to make a lot of medical appointments. I just couldn't give it what I know I would want to make it work right now, and I just can't do things half-assed. With the networking opportunities presented with this forum, you could really create a lot of pressure for reform/improvement. Why don't you give it a shot yourself; certainly you are more than capable of doing it.