Tag Archive for: VA News

VA Benefits Eligibility Update 06  ► A Few You May Have Overlooked

VA Benefits Eligibility Update 06  ► A Few You May Have Overlooked

  1. Any veteran who is service-connected for a disability for which he or she uses prosthetic or orthopedic appliances may receive an annual clothing allowance.
  1. VA provides pensions to low-income surviving spouses and unmarried children of deceased veterans with wartime service.
  1. A surviving spouse age 57 and older who remarries after December 15, 2003, is entitled to continue to receive benefits.
  1. Passports are available to family members free of charge for the purpose of visiting their loved one’s grave or memorialization site at the American military cemeteries on foreign soil.
  1. A rating percentage is considered “protected” once it is in place for 20 years. There would be no danger of a decreased disability rating after the 20 year mark.
  1. A new imaging study has found that Gulf War veterans have what appear to be unique structural changes in the wiring of their brains.
  1. Disabled Veterans may be eligible to claim a federal tax refund based on: an increase in the Veteran’s percentage of disability from the Veteran’s Administration (which may include a retroactive determination) or the combat-disabled Veteran applying for, and being granted, Combat-Related Special Compensation, after an award for Concurrent Retirement and Disability.
  1. Veterans who are 100% service-connected IU may be eligible for an additional monthly entitlement of $62.50/mo for catastrophic injury.

[Source:  U.S. Veteran Compensation Programs | December 31, 2017 ++]

Veterans can now go online and order their new identification cards.

WWW.VA.GOV

By NIKKI WENTLING | STARS AND STRIPES Published: January 29, 2018

WASHINGTON – Veterans can again submit online applications for new identification cards through the Department of Veterans Affairs website after the system was taken down in December following rollout problems.

The purpose of the identification cards is to help veterans prove their military history without having to carry around their DD-214 certificates, which contain sensitive information. The new IDs do not replace VA medical cards or defense retiree cards, nor do they qualify as official government-issued identification.

As of Jan. 29, the VA was processing 14,609 applications for the cards, said VA spokesman Curt Cashour. Any veteran who served in the armed forces, including in the reserves, and has an honorable or general discharge can request them.

High demand for the cards crashed a VA webpage in December, when some veterans were met with error messages or a webpage that failed to load. The VA temporarily stopped the online application process and asked veterans seeking new ID cards to leave their email addresses, stating they’d be notified when they could apply.

Now, the online application process has resumed to all veterans. Cashour said veterans are no longer being asked to leave their email addresses.

Veterans can apply at the Vets.gov website and will be asked to create an online account.

Veterans who have applied will start receiving their cards in early March, Cashour said. In the meantime, approved veterans can download an image of their IDs and print them or download them to their mobile phones.

In 2015, Congress ordered the VA to create the cards to make it easier for veterans to receive certain benefits such as discounts at stores and restaurants.

Contact a Veterans Service Officer VSO from one of the Veteran Service Organizations recognized by the VA “CLICK HERE”

Contact a Veterans Service Officer VSO from one of the Veteran Service Organizations recognized by the VA “CLICK HERE”

http://www.benefits.va.gov/vso/varo.asp

PTSD Update 243 ► Sample Disability Claim “Pointman” Stressor Letter

PTSD Update 243 ► Sample Disability Claim “Pointman” Stressor Letter

Most VSOs will tell that a well-crafted Stressor Letter will help immensely in providing empirical evidence needed to bolster your disability claim.  So, what exactly is a Stressor Letter. A Stressor Letter is used by Veterans Affairs  (VA) raters to identify potential traumatic events that may have invoked Posttraumatic Stressor Disorder(PTSD) symptoms in combat veterans.  The Stressor Letter consist of three vital parts:  1.  Life before military service;  2.  Life during military service (to include traumatic event(s); and 3.  Life after traumatic event(s). The Pointman Sample Stressor Letter below has been used by numerous veterans as supportive evidence for their PTSD claim.  Use it for yours (modify as needed).

(LIFE BEFORE MILITARY SERVICE Section)

Growing up on the South side of Chicago was pretty tough.  Crime was rampant, drugs were on every street corner, illiteracy seemed a way of life, and mother nature was a constant reminder of just how brutal life could be.  Along with eight brothers and sisters, even getting basic essentials was an everyday challenge.  My mother worked four jobs just to keep a roof over our heads.  Since my mother worked so much, I hardly ever saw her.  My oldest sister assumed the duties of parent for me and my brothers and sisters.

When I was having problems in junior high school, I remember it was my oldest sister who attended the parent-teacher conferences.  When I got my report cards, I always showed it to my oldest sister.  She never gave me any positive feedback, the report card for her was a way to verify that I was going to school.

Getting good grades was never a problem.  I never studied much, but I had a very good memory.  In high school, I was able to memorize all of the words and definitions of the entire school dictionary.  I was very proud of that.  By the time I was in the eleventh grade, my mother’s health started to fade.  She was unable to work due to severe arthritis.  Years of cleaning toilet seats and mopping floors took their toll.  To help the family, I started working in a nearby diner.  I got a job washing dishes.  My oldest sister always told me to work hard.  I guess it sunk in, because I worked at the diner every chance I got, and I worked until the place closed regardless of the time I got there.

I was not earning enough money washing dishes to really support my family.  I started consoling in friends for help.  A friend of a friend informed me that I could make a lot of money by doing business on the street.  I knew what that meant.  Out of desperation I thought I would give it a try.  My plan was to “work on the street” and wash dishes.  If my friend was right, I could soon give up washing dishes and make a lot of money on the street.  I was hoping I would make a lot of money quickly, put the money in the bank, then move on to a legitimate job.

My friend was right. I made lots of money, quickly and easily. As a teenager, when you are making $10,000 – $15,000 per month, you want more. The money I was earning helped my family and helped me live a lifestyle I only saw in the movies. I had a brand new Cadillac, fine clothes, expensive jewelry, and moved my family away from the South side of Chicago. My oldest sister knew I was making “dirty money,” but she never said a word to me about it. My brothers and sisters saw me as a hero. They never asked where I got the money either.

I was good at selling and manipulating people for my own personal gain.  I soon dropped out of high school to pursue the dream of making more money.

Then it all ended.  I’ll never forget that day.  On May 30, 1966, the mail came early that day.  Typically, I did not get mail, but that day I had a letter from the U.S. Government.  Instinctively I knew what it was – my draft notice.

(LIFE DURING MILITARY SERVICE Section)

In July 1966, I reported to the local MEPS station and enlisted in the U.S. Army.  I was in conflict from the moment I signed my name.  On one hand I saw the Army as a way of living a clean lifestyle.  On the other hand, I missed the excitement and money of the streets.

Basic training was harder than what my friends told me.  The physical training was a piece of cake.  Following directives from angry drill sergeants was hard.  For the most part, I was being yelled at on a daily basis.  I had trouble waking up in the morning.  I had trouble cleaning.  I had trouble with the drill sergeants telling me what to eat and how much.  All my life I had been my own drill sergeant, now I had these army grunts telling what to do and how to do it.  That was a huge adjustment for me.  To keep from getting in trouble I made it a game.  I recruited a couple of guys I knew from the streets to look after my things.  I hired them as my personal assistances.  Because of my reputation in South Chicago I had no problem getting them to do what I wanted.

After basic training I was sent to Vietnam immediately.  Assigned to a forward base unit in Da Nang, I quickly learned the ropes.  Vietnam was a lot different from what I had been briefed on.  All the military protocol was out the window.  It was a free-for-all existence.  I was sure I could adapt to that lifestyle very quickly, and I was right.  In no time at all I was running a gambling hall behind the scenes.  All of the guys knew to come see me if they wanted a chance a making some extra loot.  I liked Da Nang.  I was making money, I had girls, and I was popular with the guys.  It was like a vacation until I got called to the field.

My first impulse was to get someone to take my place, I had a gambling hall to run.  At the same time, I figured I would increase my reputation and respect by going out on search and destroy missions.

On November 3, 1966, my unit commander asked me to lead a group of 17 guys on a mission North of Da Nang.  I was glad he asked me.  I knew I could lead, but I informed the commander that I had to handpick who I wanted.  He agreed.  I selected a good combination of city kids and country boys.  These were the survivors.  I didn’t want any privileged punks going out in the jungle with me.

That night, while digging in to rest we got ambushed.  All day my instincts told me we were being followed.  That was the last time I ignored my intuition.

The NVA had us surrounded.  We were being bombarded with small arms fire, rockets, and grenades.  However, my guys were armed, ready, and willing to fight.  Just as I hoped, most seemed to enjoy the experience.  Not sure how many enemy soldiers had us surrounded, but I can say that my guys killed 36 enemy troops that night.  It was a blood bath.  The kills came so easy it was like my guys were shooting cans at an arcade.

At sunrise we ran across a few dead NVA troops.  Most were young boys.  We were young, but these were little kids.  One kid, probably about 13 or 14 was missing the top half of his skull.  His brain was bulging and swollen out of his skull.  It was a horrible sight.  Another NVA kid was lying face up with his entrails exposed.  There were a few more bodies lying around.  We left them there and moved on.  Luckily, none of my guys were hurt.

Two days later while heading back to the base my guys and I entered a small village.  Hungry, thirsty, and tired, we decided to camp out there for the night.  The local villagers did not want us to stay.  Even though we could not communicate with them, I could sense some degree of urgency from the villagers.  My instincts told me they were trying to warn us.  My instincts were right.

Around dusk, I noticed that all of the villagers were disappearing.  I wasn’t sure where they were going, but I had my guys take cover.  Even though it seemed like an eternity, about two hours after taking cover a small band of NVA troops entered the village.  One of my country boys, who had sniper training picked off three NVA troops right away.  The rest of the NVA troops scattered in the jungle.  We never did see them again.

After the shootings lots of villagers came from out of hiding.  They unclothed the three dead NVA troops, tied ropes around their necks and hoisted them up a tree.  The scene was gruesome.

The remainder of my tour in Vietnam involved briefing troops about the dangers of search and destroy missions and running my gambling hall.  All of the brass knew what I was doing was wrong, but they seemed to condone it because it helped with morale.

(LIFE AFTER TRAUMATIC EVENT Section)

I didn’t realize it right away, however, after a year or two from discharging from the Army, it became apparent that my time in uniform and in Vietnam changed how I saw the world.  When I was in Vietnam my senses operated at maximum capacity and effectiveness.  I was always on guard.  My family and friends tell me that I still act like I am in Vietnam.  When we go out to eat I only sit in restaurants with my back to the wall.  If I can’t see everything in front of me, then I don’t eat there.  If a restaurant is crowded, I will not eat there.  I can’t stand the crowds, they make me want to fight somebody.

Also, every now and then I will have nightmares about Vietnam crap.  Not the firefight I was involved in, but general war scenes.  Especially the faces of NVA soldiers.

My family and friends tell me that I seem cold and distant.  They tell me all the time that I act like I’m afraid to get close to people.  My three ex-wives used to tell me all the time that I was incapable of deep feelings toward them.

Every boss I ever had reminded me of those drill sergeants in basic training.  They all yelled at me, treated with disrespect, tried to boss me around, and most seemed incompetent.  When I worked as a butcher at a local supermarket, one boss fired me because I ran a football parlay.  I made lots of money running that parlay and morale was never higher at the supermarket.  But he didn’t see it that way.  For whatever reason, I have never been able to hold down a legitimate job for more than a year.  Since discharging from the army I have had over 50 jobs.

Lastly, my life after Vietnam has been so screwed up that I get really down sometimes.  I have been known to stay in bed for weeks.  Too tired to move and too angry to try.  I look like I have anorexia nervosa because I have lost close to a hundred pounds.  I don’t eat much anymore.  I just don’t seem to be hungry anymore.  I am not entirely sure what happened to me in Vietnam, but I am sure something affected me that altered my potential.

[Source:  U.S. Veteran Compensation Programs | February 23 , 2018 ++]

VA Benefits Eligibility Update 08 ► Based on Disability Rating

VA Benefits Eligibility Update 08 ► Based on Disability Rating

Take a look at the eligibility matrix below to see what benefits you are eligible for based on your disability rating:

Rating of 0% – 20%

  • Certification of Eligibility for home loan guaranty.
  • Home loan guaranty fee exemption.
  • VA Priority medical treatment card.
  • Vocational Rehabilitation and Counseling under Title 38 USC Chapter 31 (must be at least 10%).
  • Service Disabled Veterans Insurance (Maximum of $10,000 coverage) must file within 2 years from the date of new service connection.
  • 10-point Civil Service preference (10 points added to Civil Service test score).
  • Clothing allowance for veterans who use or wear a prosthetic or orthopedic appliance (artificial limb, braces, wheelchair) or use prescribed medications for skin condition, which tend to wear, tear or soil clothing.
  • Temporary total evaluation (100%) based on hospitalization for a service connected disability in excess of 21 days; or surgical treatment for a service connected disability necessitating at least 1 month of convalescence or immobilization by cast, without surgery of more major joints.

Rating of 30%

  • Additional allowance for dependent (spouse, child(ren), step child(ren), helpless child(ren), full-time students between the ages of 18 and 23 and parent(s).
  • Additional allowances for a spouse who is a patient in a nursing home or helpless or blind or so nearly helpless or blind as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person.

Rating of 40%

  • Automobile grant and/or special adaptive equipment for an automobile provided there is loss  or permanent loss of use of one or both feet , loss or permanent loss of one or both hands or permanent impaired vision in both eyes with central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in better eye.
  • Special adaptive equipment may also be applied for if there is ankylosis of one or both knees or one or both hips.

Rating of 50%

  • VA Medical outpatient treatment for any condition except dental.
  • Preventative health care services.
  • Hospital care and medical services in non-VA facilities under an authorized fee basis agreement.

Rating of 60% – 80%

  • Increased compensation (100%) based on Individual Unemployability (IU) (applies to veterans who are unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment due to service connected disability).

Rating of 100%

  • Dental treatment.
  • Department of Defense Commissary privileges.
  • Veteran’s employment preference for spouse.
  • Waiver of National Service Life Insurance premiums.
  • National Service Life Insurance total disability income provisions.
  • Specially adapted housing for veterans who have loss or permanent loss of use of both lower extremities or the loss of blindness in both eyes having light perception only plus loss of use of one lower extremity or the loss or permanent loss of use of one lower extremity with loss or permanent loss of use of one upper extremity or the loss or permanent loss of use of one extremity together with an organic disease which affects the functions of balance and propulsion as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes or wheelchair.
  • Special home adaptation grant (for veterans who don’t qualify for Specially Adapted Housing) may be applied for if the veteran is permanently and totally disabled due to blindness in both eyes with visual acuity of 5/200 or less or loss or permanent loss of use of both hands.

Rating of 100% (Permanent and Total)

In Addition to the Above:

  • Civilian Health and Medical Program for Dependents and Survivors (CHAMPVA).
  • Survivors and dependents education assistance under Title 38 USC Chapter 35.

[Source:  U.S. Veteran Compensation Programs | March 2, 2018 ++]

VA Accredited Representatives ►   Disability Claim Assistance

VA Accredited Representatives ►   Disability Claim Assistance

An accredited representative is an individual who has undergone a formal application and training process and is recognized by VA as being capable of assisting claimants with their affairs before VA. Most accredited representatives work for veteran service organizations (VSOs) many of which are private non-profit groups that advocate on behalf of Veterans, Service members, dependents and survivors. Accredited representatives may also work for state or county government entities. The accreditation process includes an examination, a background investigation, and continuing education requirements to ensure VSOs are providing the most up-to-date information. Recognized organizations and individuals, whether congressionally chartered VSOs or VA accredited claims agents or attorneys, can legally represent a Veteran, Service member, dependent, or survivor before VA. Non-recognized organizations and individuals can provide information, but cannot be a representative.

What is the role of an accredited representative?

A VSO, along with state, county, and other local Veteran service representatives are trained to help you understand and apply for any VA benefits you may be entitled to including: compensationeducationvocational rehabilitation and employmenthome loanslife insurancepensionhealth care, and burial benefits. Additionally, your VSO can help you gather any evidence needed and submit a Fully Developed Claim on your behalf. Many VSOs provide their services free-of-charge, but they may request reimbursement for unusual expenses.

In addition to assisting Veterans and their families with VA claims, VSOs also sponsor a range of Veteran-centric programs such as providing transportation to and from VA medical center appointments, funds and volunteers for disaster relief, and grants. VSOs also lobby Congress on behalf of issues facing Veterans and help support requests for resources needed by VA to better serve Veterans, their families, and survivors. The VA Office of General Counsel maintains a list of VA-recognized organizations and VA-accredited individuals that are authorized to assist in the preparation, presentation and prosecution of VA benefit claims. For more information is available to veterans  at https://www.va.gov/ogc/accreditation.asp on how to select a representative, find out who can charge fees relating to representation, file a complaint about your representative, or to dispute a charged by an agent or attorney based on reasonableness.

Fee for Service

Unlike VSOs, VA accredited claims agents and attorneys may charge a fee for their services. For more information on what to do if you believe you were charged an unreasonable fee by a claims agent or attorney, see the fact sheet on How to Challenge a Fee at https://www.va.gov/OGC/docs/Accred/HowtoChallengeaFee.pdf.

How to find a Representative

Online – You can find a local representative including a recognized VSO , attorney, or claims agent by state/territory, zip code, or by the organization’s name online using eBenefits.

At your nearest VA regional benefit office. To find a VSO office located in or near your local regional benefit office, use VA’s directory of VSOs https://www.benefits.va.gov/vso/varo.asp.

How to Appoint a VSO or Representative

You may appoint an attorney, claim agent, or VSO to represent you or manage your current representative online using eBenefits.  You may also appoint a VSO or representative by completing VA Form 21-22, Appointment of Veterans Service Organization as Claimant’s Representative and mailing it to:
Department Of Veterans Affairs

Claims Intake Center

PO Box 4444

Janesville, WI 53547-4444

It is recommended that you first speak to the service organization before you submit your request to VA.

[Source:  https://www.benefits.va.gov/vso/index.asp | March 2018 ++]

VETERANS BENEFITS

VETERANS BENEFITS

Disabled Veterans Picked Up A Major Travel Benefit In The Latest Defense Bill

By JARED KELLER on August 15, 2018

Buried in the $717 billion National Defense Authorization Act is a fantastic measure for disabled veterans: easier access to military flights as an escape from the horror of commercial air travel. Under the Disabled Veterans Access to Space-A Travel Act, veterans with a service-connected, permanent disability rating of 100% can hop on any scheduled or unscheduled military flight within the continental United States operated by Air Mobility Command “as such transportation is provided to members of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.”

The legislation was introduced by House Veterans Affairs Committee vice chairman and Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis way back in 2016 and eventually merged with the fiscal 2019 NDAA that President Donald

Trump signed into law on Monday. “Disabled veterans who have a service-connected permanent disability rated as 100 percent cannot travel on military flights unless they are military retirees,” Bilirakis’ office said of the legislation at the time, according to Sunshine State News. “This bill would authorize veterans who have a service-connected, permanent disability rated as 100 percent to travel on Space-A at no additional cost to the Department of Defense and without aircraft modifications.”

According to Connective Vets, the push for the expansion of Space-A travel found a public advocate from Lanna Britt, a military spouse whose husband Tim, an Army MP, was injured when vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeted his convoy in central Baghdad. His injuries, which earned him a 100% disability rating, made traveling near-impossible, according to Lanna.

“Long, crowded flights aren’t easy for anyone, but they can be a nightmare for 100 percent disabled veterans, depending on their injuries,” Lanna Britt told Connecting Vets in July. “100 percent disabled veterans live with daily pain and stress, and this is just one way we can show our appreciation at no extra cost to taxpayers, it’s a no-brainer.”

According to data from the Government Accountability Office, 77.3% of space-available seats in 2011 were occupied by just 2.3% of the 8.4 million individuals eligible for the program.

“The Space-Available Travel program is a benefit rightfully extended to all military retirees, yet it excludes those who are 100 percent disabled,” Bilirakis told Sunshine State News on Monday. “The brave men and women who served our country, and returned home injured, have already paid a big price on our behalf. If there is space available for travel on a military aircraft, there is no reason our 100 percent disabled veterans shouldn’t be on that flight.”

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2018/08/defense-bill-allows-fully-disabled-vets-to-travel-on-military-flights/

Many Vietnam Vets Don’t Know They Now Qualify for Agent Orange Benefits

Many Vietnam Vets Don’t Know They Now Qualify for Agent Orange Benefits

Expanded list of diseases linked to the herbicide means more veterans and their survivors qualify

By David Frank – November 2, 2018

Many Vietnam veterans and their survivors may be missing out on substantial payments they are entitled to receive as a result of exposure to Agent Orange, veterans’ advocates say.

Though most veterans are aware of the toxic nature of Agent Orange, an herbicide used to clear foliage in Vietnam, not everyone has kept track as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded a list of diseases that make it easier to qualify for benefits. Until the 1990s, the government recognized only one ailment – a skin condition called chloracne – as being linked to Agent Orange. But over the years, the VA list of medical conditions associated with Agent Orange has grown to more than a dozen, including some that are much more prevalent.

“There are still thousands of vets who don’t realize their disease is on the list,” says Bart Stichman, executive director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP), a nonprofit that helps veterans, survivors and active duty personnel pursue service-related benefits.

The diseases now on the VA’s Agent Orange list are ischemic heart disease, lung and trachea cancers, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Parkinson’s Disease, type 2 diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, AL amyloidosis, chronic B-cell leukemia, chloracne, early-onset peripheral neuropathy, porphyria cutanea tarda, and soft tissue sarcomas.

Several other diseases — bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, hypertension and Parkinson’s-like symptoms — have been under consideration to be added to the list.

Once a disease is put on the list, it is easier to get disability compensation for it because the VA presumes the disease is a result of exposure to Agent Orange for veterans who served in Vietnamor its inland waterways between 1962 and 1975. The same applies to veterans who served in or near the Korean demilitarized zone between 1968 and 1971. These veterans don’t need to prove that they were exposed to Agent Orange to qualify for benefits related to ailments on the list.

For veterans who qualify for disability payments and survivors who qualify for death payments, the benefits can mean tens of thousands of dollars a year in income.

The problem, veterans advocates say, is that veterans don’t necessarily make the connection between a disease they have had for years and the expanded Agent Orange list. For example, a veteran diagnosed decades ago with type 2 diabetes may not have noticed when the government later added the condition to its list of ailments linked to Agent Orange, says Linda Schwartz, special advisor on health to the Vietnam Veterans of America. If a veteran is seeing a civilian doctor who isn’t well-versed in veterans’ issues, she says, the doctor wouldn’t necessarily associate the diagnosis with Agent Orange.

When veterans don’t think to apply for disability benefits based on conditions added to the VA’s Agent Orange list in recent years, they can miss out on sizable payments. David DePodesta, a 69-year-old veteran who lost sight in his right eye due to enemy shrapnel while serving with the Marines in Vietnam in 1969, was fortunate that he did pay attention to the list as it grew. DePodesta says that for many years his eye injury qualified him for a disability rating of 30 percent and a monthly payment of under $400. After the VA in 2010  added ischemic heart disease to its list of ailments linked to Agent Orange, DePodesta — who had open heart surgery in 1988 and again in 2010 — saw his disability rating jump to 100 percent and his monthly payment jump to more than $3,100. He also received a large lump sum payment compensating him retroactively to his first diagnosis with ischemic heart disease.

DePodesta, a retired mortgage banker who works occasionally as a substitute teacher and serves as a prison chaplain, says the monthly benefits together with the retroactive payment made a “pretty big change in my lifestyle.”

“Getting extra compensation certainly helps. We’re not wealthy,’’ he says. “We get by with Social Security and the compensation and substitute teaching.’’

When veterans don’t realize that they are eligible for disability benefits based on ailments added to the VA’s Agent Orange list, their survivors also miss out on monthly payments under a program called Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), which provides lifetime tax-free income to survivors of veterans who had service-related disabilities or diseases.

Stichman at NVLSP estimates that tens of thousands of survivors are unaware they are eligible for benefits because their spouses had diseases that the VA linked to Agent Orange only after their death. Survivor benefits can be higher depending on their situation, including whether they need a caregiver to assist them with everyday activities like bathing and dressing.

Like veterans, survivors also can sometimes get retroactive payments in addition to qualifying for monthly death benefits. Stichman says his organization helped an Alabama widow persuade the VA to pay her $247,508 in retroactive benefits. The woman’s husband, a Vietnam veteran, had died of cardiac ischemia in 1983, but the VA had rejected a request for a death pension that she filed in 1985. Because the VA decades later added ischemic heart disease to its list of Agent Orange-related diseases, the widow was able to make the case that she should have been getting benefits all those years.

Even if veterans suffer from an ailment not on the VA list, they should consider applying for disability benefits if they believe it is the result of Agent Orange exposure. The VA says it encourages veterans in such cases to gather medical and scientific evidence that their ailment was caused by Agent Orange and submit it to see if it qualifies them for a service-connected disability benefit.

“If a direct link is made to Agent Orange exposure in a particular case, then service connection could still be granted,’’ says Beth Murphy, VA Compensation Service Director.

Veterans service groups say it can be worth trying to bring such claims even though they can be difficult.

“This type of case requires a lot of medical evidence and is harder to prove but not impossible,’’ says Felicia Mullaney, deputy director of Veterans Benefits, Vietnam Veterans of America.

Because disability claims can be complicated, Linda Schwartz at VVA says it’s vital for veterans and survivors to use an accredited veteran service officer when filing such claims.

“They can’t do this by themselves,” says Schwartz.

The VA suggests that veterans can get help from this list of government-accredited Veterans and Military Service Organizations. Veterans and survivors also can learn more about eligibility for benefits.

One way for veterans to get started if they’ve never explored a link between their medical ailments and Agent Orange is to see if they qualify for a free Agent Orange exam.

Link to the article:
https://www.aarp.org/home-family/voices/veterans/info-2018/vietnam-korea-agent-orange-benefits.html

View spraying missions in Vietnam by date and location

http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-091204-agentorange-map-htmlstory.html