But now, the waiting game is almost over as VA Secretary Robert McDonald said he plans to make an announcement in the coming weeks about health care benefits for the crews who flew C-123 aircraft. Many of those planes were used during Vietnam to pray Agent Orange over the countryside, and they continued to be used after the war.
Multiple Air National Guard units used these reserve planes in various states across the U.S.
Up until January of this year, there was some uncertainty as to whether reservists had, in fact, been exposed to the herbicide. But an Institute of Medicine study released in January challenged that uncertainty.
The Institute of Medicine researchers wrote, “It is plausible that, at least in some cases … the reservists’ exposure exceeded health guidelines for workers in enclosed settings.”
Therefore, the report continues, some reservists likely experienced “non-trivial” increases in their risks for certain diseases. These findings bolster an earlier 2012 report by the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry that these individuals’ levels of exposure to dioxin were 182 times higher than safe amounts.
However, it was four years ago when Retired Air Force Major Wesley Carter started requesting documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) after he and some fellow reservists were diagnosed with multiple cancers, heart disease, and other Agent Orange-associated illnesses.
Since then, the reservists have been battling the VA to receive the same benefits as those who served in Vietnam. After a few delays, it appears that will finally happen.
At Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC, we focus exclusively on veterans’ rights. If you are a veteran looking to get the benefits that you deserve, call us today at 1-800-693-4800. We handle a variety of claims, including Agent Orange and other service-connected injuries. www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Announcement on Agent Orange Benefits for C-124 Air Force Reservists Could Come Soon first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>First, HR 969 (the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act) was introduced in February of this year and it has considerable bi-partisan support. The bill would include as part of the Republic of Vietnam its “territorial seas” for purposes of the presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.
As the bill’s sponsor, Representative Christopher Gibson (R-NY) said, this legislation, “places Navy Personnel on the same playing field as those who served on Vietnamese territory during the war – it’s the right thing to do.” We couldn’t agree more!
Rep. Gibson also noted that the bill would reduce the tremendous backlog of VA claims for veterans suffering from diseases the government links to Agent Orange.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced S-681 just last week in the Senate. That legislation is the Senate companion to the House bill and it would further clarify the service-connection presumption for Blue Water Navy veterans.
You can check out the Blue Water Navy Awareness Blog here: http://bluewaternavyawarenss.blogspot.com/
And we join the group in their call for you and your neighbors to contact your representatives and senators and urge them to support this legislation. It is very encouraging that these bills have bi-partisan sponsors and support, but similar legislation in the past has fallen victim to the dreadfully slow legislative process and died while in committee – where these two bills currently remain.
At Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC, we focus exclusively on veterans’ rights. If you are a veteran looking to get the benefits that you deserve, call us today at 1-800-693-4800. We handle a variety of claims, including Agent Orange and other service-connected injuries. www.LegalHelpForVeterans.com
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post New Bills Would Give Blue Water Navy Vets Service-Connection for Agent Orange Diseases first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Thousands of veterans who served during the Gulf War in the 1990s continue to report mysterious symptoms, especially short-term memory loss and debilitating fatigue, over 20 years later.
The collection of ailments that active duty soldiers and veterans reported after the operation to oust Saddam Hussein from Kuwait ended in 1991 were known as Gulf War syndrome, Gulf War illness and most recently, as chronic multi-symptom illness.
To address the health complaints of veterans, U.S. officials set up the Gulf War Registry, which involved self-reporting the kinds of ailments that the veterans had. As of March 31 of this year, the registry included a total of 145,612 veterans enrolled. That’s nearly one in five of those who were deployed.
Initially, military and Veterans Affairs officials said the ailments stemmed from post-traumatic stress disorder, which irked the veterans and legislators who wanted better explanations.
Over the years, the suspected culprits for gulf war illness have included the experimental anthrax vaccine and an anti-nerve agent pill given to soldiers before the war, exposures to chemical agents from the bombings of Iraqi chemical bunkers, fumes from the oil well fires that Saddam ordered, and other toxins in the environments.
US officials have said none of these factors are responsible for Gulf War syndrome. Coalition forces from Britain complained of similar symptoms as US soldiers, and the British soldiers were also administered a vaccine.
In response to concerns of French soldiers who took part in Desert Storm, the French government commissioned a health study, and the results were published in a 2006 report, which did not find clusters of ailments similar to those of US and British soldiers. The French soldiers were not given the anthrax vaccine in preparation for Desert Storm, and instead were given antibiotics, French officials said.
While progress may be slow, lawmakers in Washington are taking notice. Last month, Congressman Mike Coffman introduced the Gulf War Health Research Reform Act (House Resolution 4261), which gives greater independence to the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illness from the Veterans Affairs Department.
Paul Sullivan, who helped write and pass the Persian Gulf War Veterans Act, had some scathing remarks for the VA. Sullivan accused the VA of blocking a 1998 law that supported research, treatment, and benefits for Gulf War veterans, and he supports a bill to give the VA Secretary greater authority to “remove the top VA leaders who continue failing the 250,000 ill Gulf War veterans.”
The VA denied the allegations, saying they support the research efforts to improve veterans’ treatment and continue to welcome input and advice from the Research Advisory Committee.
Read more on the Stars & Stripes Report here: http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/gulf-war-illness-thousands-who-served-still-report-mysterious-symptoms-1.279132?=&utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines&utm_medium=email
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans attorney, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Gulf War Syndrome is going to be for us what Agent Orange was for the Vietnam Veterans first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>For the first time since February 2011, the number of backlogged disability claims dropped below the 350,000 mark. That’s a decrease of more than 250,000 cases in the past year, a pace that officials believe they can maintain to bring the backlog to zero by 2015.
Still, 350,000 veterans remain in what has been a rather long waiting line for the past several years. The backlog number is based on the number of claims pending for more than 125 days.
VA Undersecretary of Benefits Allison Hickey said that new technology, the new paperless claims system, better training of claims workers, and improved communication systems have all contributed to the decrease. In addition, the Undersecretary acknowledged that mandatory overtime for claims processors over the last two years has been a critical tool for shrinking the backlog, but constant overtime is not a sustainable business model.
Although there is much work to be done, this is certainly welcome news. The backlog number is also at its lowest mark since before claims tied to new presumptive illnesses from Agent Orange exposure overwhelmed the benefits system.
The move to make those presumptive illnesses eligible for VA benefits in 2010 was popular among veteran advocacy groups, but it also led to a dramatic slowdown in the completion of disability claims as tens of thousands of new cases poured into the claims processing system.
The VA’s ability to deal with claims quickly and reliably came into question, and the Department received stricter scrutiny from Capitol Hill. Now, almost four years later, it seems as though the VA has achieved some progress toward shrinking the backlog for veterans.
To read more on this issue, read the Army Times recent report:
http://www.armytimes.com/interactive/article/20140331/BENEFITS04/303310043
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post VA Hits Important Benchmark, but Problem Far from Solved first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Service Connected Disability Compensation
Tax-free payments, based on a sliding scale of disabilities, are available to veterans whose injury or disease results from military service. This includes related conditions which may not have produced symptoms prior to discharge. Higher rates of compensation are awarded for specific categories, such as loss of a limb, the effects of Agent Orange or supports needed for “activities of daily living,” such as bathing, dressing and dispensing of medication. Compensation for daily living supports is also available for parents and spouses.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
Tax-free payments are provided to surviving spouses, children and parents of military personnel who have died during active duty, in training or as the result of a service-connected disability. Income limits apply in the case of parents.
Non-Service-Connected Pension with Aid and Attendance
Veterans with non-service-related disabilities, who completed at least one day of active duty service during a war-time period (World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam or the Gulf War) and served for a minimum of 90 days, may be eligible for non-taxable “Aid and Attendance.” It does not matter that they may have been stationed stateside or outside a combat zone.
Veterans who may have too much income to qualify for the base low-income pension may qualify for Pension with Aid and Attendance if they have high medical care expenses. Aid and Attendance may pay for the cost of caregivers who assist individuals with two or more activities of daily living (ADLs). Such services can be provided in the home, in a personal care or assisted living facility, or nursing home. Spouses are also eligible.
This benefit has stringent income and asset requirements. A veteran who has a high income, however, may still be eligible after the deduction of recurring, unreimbursed medical expenses, including prescriptions, insurance premiums and caregiver costs. Although there is currently no penalty for “spending down” assets before applying, pending federal legislation is likely to penalize individuals who dispose of assets at less than their fair market value within three years of filing.
While the value of an individual’s primary residence is not considered in the asset calculations, if the home is subsequently sold to help pay for a greater level of care, those funds could interrupt Aid and Attendance payments and require reapplication once the money has been spent. For this reason, it’s important to analyze long-term needs and options before submitting a claim.
In an address to disabled veterans, President Obama announced that the backlog of disability claims was shrinking. At the Disabled American Veterans annual meeting earlier this year, Obama stated that the backlog of disability benefits claims had shrink by as much as 20 percent in the past five months. But, he conceded, a new wave of claims was coming in to the Veterans Administration. Some of those claims are from service members who served in Vietnam and are looking for care for ailments they believe stem from their decades-past exposure to Agent Orange, as well as veterans most recently returned fromIraq andAfghanistan with traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and physical injuries.
“Any efforts to decrease the extensive backlog of disability claims are greatly needed and appreciated,” commented James Fausone, a veterans disability attorney. “Many of the service members who have filed disability claims have been waiting for a shockingly long time just to get their claims processed, much less disbursed.”
The White House is committed to boosting the amount of spending available for vet services to attend to their education and job prospects as well as the physical and mental health and homeless issues so many vets face, Obama said. There is also a push to better support additional hiring of vets at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and increase overtime pay to clear up the backlog of claims.
According to the VA, 64 percent of claims still pending are supplemental claims filed by vets asking for additional benefits. Though the sequestration cuts took effect in March 2013, veteran spending was exempted, allowing funding to go to decreasing the countless disability benefits currently backlogged at the VA. Obama stated that Congress needed to work together to reduce the deficit and to keep the promises of support ad benefits to veterans.
Though World War I’s lastU.S.veteran died more than two years ago, Obama said to the 34,000 attendees, survivor benefits are still going to the descendants of the men who fought then, and in the Spanish-American War. Benefits are even going to a Civil War veteran’s daughter. Benefits will also be going to the descendants of this wave of service people.
Source
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/us/obama-assures-disabled-veterans-they-will-get-aid.html?_r=0
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Veterans Disability Attorney Comments on Shrinking Disability Benefits Backlog first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>Principi argued that current eligibility requirements are far more liberal than, as President Lincoln once charged, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.” He said that the 50,000 veterans wounded inIraqandAfghanistanwho have filed for disability claims are not the reason the system is clogged, but that the system was already overwhelmed by veterans who were filing claims from long-ago service.
“While every benefits system may face the occasional questionable filing, the focus of the VA disability benefits system needs to support the servicemen and servicewomen who need those benefits to which they are entitled,” commented veterans disability attorneyJames Fausone.
Principi called for the restoration of the “integrity” of the Veterans Administration claims system in a keynote address this June at forum on the VA. The forum, co-hosted by Concerned Veterans for America The Weekly Standard magazine, featured Principi’s keynote, where he stated that Congress, vet service organizations and the VA must address the expansion of disability pay eligibility. Principi has called for a “rebalancing” of priorities or the VA system will be at risk, he said. His remarks were in sharp contrast to other speakers, who urged the VA to work more efficiently and faster on the backlog of disability claims still pending.
More than one million claims are filed each year; an estimated 80 percent of these are filed from veterans who served prior to 2001, Principi said. A vet who served a single day inVietnamcan file for medical conditions typically seen in aging men, Principi said, such as prostate cancer, lung cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and Type II diabetes.
It has been 40 years since the end of the Vietnam War, and 37 percent of VA claims have been filed byVietnamvets, twice as many as those filed by recently discharged vet, according to Principi. And, says Principi, as much as 11 percent of claims, 100,000 or more, have been filed by veterans who never saw conflict. Vietnam-era vet claims increased, posited Principi, due to assumptions that “ailments of aging” such as some heart diseases and Type II diabetes, were added to the list the VA accepted as caused by exposure to Agent Orange.
The VA paid out $26.6 billion in 2005 in disability compensation. By the end of 2013, it will pay out more than $60 billion.
Source
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Former VA Secretary Calls for VA Disability Benefits Reform first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>