VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

Saturday, August 09, 5:02:31 [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2], 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: Thu, Oct 29 2020, 22:52:42 PDT
Author: Steve Gattis (GATTIS)
Author Host/IP: host-67-44-224-188.hnremote.net / 67.44.224.188
Subject: CRITICAL PENDING LEGISLATION FOR AGENT ORANGE RELATED VA CLAIMS

HELLO TO ALL. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION COMES FROM OUR OUR VSPA SERVICE OFFICER AND 2ND VICE PRESIDENT, Jaime Lleras LQ

— Claims Information, especially for our Thailand SP brothers,

There are two Bills in Congress (HR-566 & S 332) that can do away with the one-year rule affecting veterans claiming Peripheral Neuropathy and other medical conditions. Contact your Representatives & Senators and ask them to support these bills. You can use the suggested Veterans Letter below.

Majority Members
Luria, D-VA; 202-225-4215
Cisneros, D - CA; 202-225-4111
Sablan, D-CNMJ; 202-225-2646
Allred, D - TX; 202-225-2231
Underwood, D -IL; 202-225-2976
Levin, D - CA; 202-225-3906
Peterson, D - MN; 202-225-2165
Lee, D - NV; 202-225-3252
Rice, D - NY; 202-225-5516
Rose, D - NY; 202-225-3371
Cunningham, D - SC - 202-225-3176
Pappas, D - NH; 202-225-5456
Brownley, D - CA; 202-225-5811
Takano, D - CA; 202-225-2305

Minority Members
Bost, R - IL; 202-225-5661
Bilirakis, R - FL; 202-225-5755
Steube, R - FL; 202-225-5792
Dunn, R - FL; 202-225-5235
Bergman, R - MI; 202-22S-4735
Roe, R - TN; 202-225-6356
Banks, R - IN; 202-225-4436
Barr, R - KY; 202-255-4706
Radewagen, R - ASM; 202-225-8577

Phone Directory - https:www.house.gov/representatives

• My name is __________________________________, from _____________________________.
(Full Name) (City & State)
• I am a Vietnam Veteran and have personally been impacted by Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam and/or Thailand during the war.

• The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee passed S. 332 unanimously, that would provide VA coverage of three conditions linked to Agent Orange. Tens of thousands of veterans are estimated to be impacted by these "presumptives" -- chloracne, peripheral neuropathy, and porphyria cutanea tarda.

• Cite evidence from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) which has repeatedly proven these presumptives are sufficiently connected to Agent Orange and should join the list of conditions already covered by the VA. The end dates provided by the VA regarding these illnesses have been disproved by many sources including the Mayo Clinic. These time limitations and end dates should be removed as soon as possible.

• This provision is supported by 39 veterans service organizations.

• The VA has not listened to the overwhelming scientific evidence provided by the NASEM and seeks to delay with additional studies, which is why we desperately need Congress to act.

• I ask that you support H.R. 566. Please do all that you can to ensure it is enacted this Congress.

https://veterans.house.gov/subcommittees/disabilitv-assistance-and-memorial-affairs

Ensure All Veterans Affected by Agent Orange Receive Coverage for Their Illnesses

Objective: Ask the Congress of the United States, the National Institutes of Health, and the President of the United States to amend the 38 CFR. 3.309 and Title 38 USC 1116 to eliminate onset dates for the presumptive diseases.
Certain limitations-were placed on the diseases, establishing unreasonable and punitive onset dates, resulting in loss of earned disability compensation. Therefore, we ask our elected and appointed officials to remedy this wrong and award earned benefits through the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Issue: Three illnesses believed to be caused by contact with Agent Orange, under VA regulations, must be at least 10% disabling within one year of contact with herbicides.

Chloracne - skin condition, skin rash, looks like acne; appears anywhere on the body at any time, lesions are often found behind the ears, in the armpits, and in the groin region which are itchy and get hot.

Peripheral Nephropathy - illness of the nervous system that causes numbness, tingling of hands, feet and legs, weakness of muscles, and loss of coordination and reflexes.

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda - a rare illness that can make your liver stop working correctly, can cause your skin to thin, blister and scar, changes in pigmentation when in the sun, and excessive hair growth.

Background: Veterans suffering from these conditions have an incredibly challenging evidentiary burden.

Veterans were not asked if they were exposed or even came into contact with Agent Orange. Many veterans were treated for skin rashes in Vietnam, but the evidence of treatment was never put into their medical files. According to the VA, there is a one-year cutoff date for these veterans to have told about any of their symptoms, but many were not known, or did not show until later.

· Chloracne occurs soon after exposure but can look like and present as common forms of acne seen in teenagers and young adults.

· Porhyria Cutanea Tania (PCT) occurs from an external factor in 75%-85% of people. Often the symptoms do not appear until after the age of 30, even for cases: where it is genetic. The veterans who now have PCT were stationed in Vietnam when they were in their early twenties, meaning their condition was unlikely to appear within a year as directed by the existing law.

· Peripheral Neuropathy has a gradual onset of symptoms per the Mayo Clinic; there is no time limit on when symptoms start.

FAQ:
Q; Why was the time limitation added?
A: It was thought that these diseases only manifested within a certain period of time, however, an unintended consequence was that veterans who didn't see a doctor in time are limited from receiving care and benefits.

Q: Will all veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange have these conditions covered, even if they developed later?
A: Yes, however developing these conditions without dioxin exposure is highly unlikely.

Congress: Support the veterans who are suffering from Agent Orange Illnesses but are limited by unjust evidentiary and time limitations.

Pass the Agent Orange Exposures Fairness Act - HR566 and S332

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]
[ Login ] Create Account Not required to post.
Post a public reply to this message | Go post a new public message
 * HTML allowed in marked fields.
Post Password:
Keep password cookie for 24 hours

Message subject (required):

Name (Registered users only):

  Expression (Optional mood/title along with your name) Examples: (happy, sad, The Joyful, etc.) help)

  E-mail address (required):

Type your message here:

Choose Message Icon: [ View Emoticons ]

Notice: Copies of your message may remain on this and other systems on internet. Please be respectful.

[ Contact Forum Admin ]


Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.