From: Ken Kalish
Date: December 20, 2016
Subject: An Agent Orange Study
Friends,
I received this message late Saturday, but didn’t read it until a moment ago. It’s about Agent Orange, so involves all of us who were in-country. There are some solid links in the story. You’ll probably have to go to the ProPublica site to access the links. Here it is:
Hi Kenneth,
As you know, we’ve emailed you about stories in our Reliving Agent Orange project, in which we’ve worked with The Virginian-Pilot newspaper to chronicle the lingering effects of Agent Orange four decades after the Vietnam War ended.
We’ve just published a first-of-its-kind analysis in which we found that the odds of having a child born with birth defects were more than a third higher for veterans exposed to Agent Orange than for those who weren’t. We came to this conclusion using data in the VA’s Agent Orange registry, a repository of data on nearly 669,000 veterans that includes information on their children.
For decades, veterans and families like you have suspected a link between exposure to Agent Orange and problems in children. But your calls for research, and the recommendations of federal scientific advisory panels, have fallen on deaf ears. The VA has never before looked at its data trove to see if there is an association between Agent Orange exposure and birth defects, but we did.
We tried to get this data under the Freedom of Information Act but we were denied. So instead, we went the route that academic researchers do, obtaining approval from an Institutional Review Board (a science approval panel of sorts) for our research plan.
After reviewing our results, one prominent environmental health professor said of the VA, “It’s like a sign that says ‘Dig Here’ and they’re not digging.”
The resulting package of stories, I hope, is enlightening and heartbreaking.
In our main piece, written by Charlie Ornstein, Mike Hixenbaugh and Hannah Fresques, you’ll meet veterans and their children and can read about the VA’s long record of ignoring the questions raised about birth defects in vets’ children. You’ll also meet a former Air Force scientist who said that his findings of an association were suppressed in the 1980s by his superiors.
Another story introduces you to Linda Kochmar, a state representative in Washington, who had two children after her husband returned from the Vietnam War. One lacks sight in an eye. The other died of cardiomyopathy at age 21. “We don’t have this in the family,” she said. “The veterans would all say, ‘You know it’s probably Agent Orange.’”
Over the last 18 months we've also recorded interviews with several vets, their family members and their children. We've paired these recordings with historical footage and the veteran’s or family member’s own pictures to create more than a dozen videos that illustrate the passion, the pain and the willingness to share this story with others. Please watch them here.
Finally, our partners at The Virginian-Pilot have a beautiful story written by Joanne Kimberlin about the toll for families in their area.
It takes a village to produce a project like this. In particular, we wanted to thank you and the more than 6,000 veterans and family members who’ve shared their stories with us over the past 18 months.
So what can you do?
Speak up. Now is the time to write the VA or your members of Congress about these issues. You can share links to our stories and our research. If you do decide to do that (or have done that in the past), please let us know.
Are you a member in a Vietnam veteran focused Facebook group or other type of forum? Please share this story far and wide. If you do that, please let us know.
You have filled out our questionnaire. That's why you're receiving this email. However, we are still looking for more stories so please encourage other veterans or their family members to share by sending them this questionnaire.
Here’s hoping that the nation will finally confront the legacy of the Vietnam War and do right by veterans and their families.
Thank you.
Terry
Charlie
Mike
From: Paul Kasper
Date: February 26, 2016
Subject: Blue water sailor wins agent orange benefits if you are a blue water- file again and print this out to go with it.
VETERANS POST: Blue water sailor wins agent orange benefits Story
Posted: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 12:00 am Freddy Groves
It took six years and an aggressive attorney, but a Blue Water Sailor has finally been given full benefits for Agent Orange exposure. When the sailor first applied in 2010 for benefits for ischemic heart disease due to AO exposure, the response was typical: The VA said no because he’d been on a carrier out at sea. He continued to appeal. And appeal. And appeal. The VA finally told him to either go away or go to court. Naturally he chose court and got an attorney. The VA was ordered to take another look at the facts and finally decided that 100 percent disability for ischemic heart disease due to AO exposure was appropriate, backdated to when symptoms first appeared, many years earlier. If you were on a ship near Vietnam, the questions to consider are: If you were assigned to a ship and were flown out to it, where had the plane been? Was the plane contaminated and bringing AO every time it landed on a carrier? Did you unload cargo from those planes or work on them? Did the ship ever bring on fresh fruits and vegetables? Did the ship ever dock? Did it take on water for distillation inside the 12-mile limit? Did your mail and supplies sit on the runway near the AO storage area in Da Nang? Meanwhile, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act (HR-969) was recently introduced in the House of Representatives. The legislation will give AO presumptives to sailors and Marines who served in offshore waters of Vietnam. If you’re fighting the VA, go online to The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program [www.vetsprobono.org]. You can hook up with a specially trained attorney -- for free -- who will take your case. You’ll pay nothing unless you win back entitlement. c2016 King Features Synd., Inc. Link to Original Article
From: Forrest Brandt
Date: October 29, 2016
Subject: Dr. Orange: The Secret Nemesis of Sick Vets
Passing this on to the group along with a link to wiki’s page on ProPublica so you can determine for yourself the veracity of their up[coming report.
Forrest
Begin forwarded message:
From: Terry from ProPublica <noreply@dobt.co>
Subject: Dr. Orange: The secret nemesis of sick vets
Date: October 28, 2016 at 6:44:33 PM EDT
To: Forrest <greenlt@mac.com>
Reply-To: agentorange@propublica.org
You have a new message from ProPublica
Hello Forrest,
We wanted to tell you about our latest story in the Agent Orange investigation. It’s about “Dr. Orange,” a man whose work (more than any other) has shaped the government’s handling—and denial—of Agent Orange claims among veterans. It focuses in on Alvin Young, who does not believe many vets were exposed to Agent Orange and believes even fewer could have gotten sick from it. He has called some vets who've sought benefits "freeloaders." For almost 50 years, he has been a government official and a paid consultant for the military and the VA.
This new story goes on to detail how an Air Force veteran challenged Young's findings — and won. You can read it here:
“It's like sticking your head into a bottle of roundup and gargling and then drenching your clothing in it and wrapping a towel around your face drenched in it. People would literally throw up.” Watch the video and listen to Wes talk about his exposure, the C-123s and his fight for benefits:http://propub.li/2dUFnQL
A few other things to check out from the recent package of stories:
A timeline: Eight times Agent Orange’s biggest defender—Alvin Young—has been wrong or misleading: http://propub.li/2eW77a2
A sidebar story: After cancer diagnosis, vet refutes government’s Agent Orange expert—and wins: http://propub.li/2ejPwHR
Thank you for still being a part of this project. We are moving toward our final push for vets, their family members and their children to fill out our questionnaire. Right now we have more than 6,000 in our database. So if you know anyone who should fill it out and hasn’t, could you please share it with them. Here’s the URL to share: http://propub.li/2f0sV2V
If you have any questions about the reporting or the project, please let us know by replying to this email: agentorange@propublica.org
Thank you,
From: Bob Peetz
Date: November 5, 2015
Subject: VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange Exposure
Jim,
File a CRSC (Combat Related Special Compensation). If approved DFAS will send you an electronic deposit equal to the amount being deducted, it is tax-free as well. And they will back pay your claim for up to six years.
I filed my claim for Diabetes in April, when it was approved the letter they sent me told me that my AFSC made me eligible to be compensated for my Hearing Loss/Tinnitus as well. I sent them what they wanted and it was approved as well. They have refunded all money deducted from my retirement pay. It’s a bit confusing: You will continue to get your retirement check, they will continue to deduct the 20%, DFAS will send you a check for the same amount as was deducted.
Unlike the VA, CRSC claims only take 6 to 8 weeks to process. I’ve got a bunch of information about it on my website:
CRSC claims are pretty straight forward and you can get through them with ease, about the only documentation you will need is a copy of the VA letter. I sent more info since I had it available. The form on my website is the latest version. If you have any questions, let me know?
bob@blackpony.org
AFVN Group Conversations
From: Steve Sevits
Date: August 19, 2017
Subject: Agent Orange
The VA has a rule that neuropathy (numbness in the extremities) must have been experienced shortly after exposure to Agent Orange. The problem is that in the 1960s and 70s there were no significant diagnostic tools available to make this kind of diagnosis.
Google the case of LTC Eugene B. Richardson whose diagnosis of neuropathy was recognized by the VA in 2010, 42 years after exposure.
Download "Guidelines for Veterans - Agent Orange and Peripheral Neuropathy." (Richardson) This document is full of multiple cases where veterans have successfully been awarded disability pensions, overcoming the VA time limits. It's good reading.
Steve
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Agent Orange - Page 2
July 2014, November 2015 and February/March and
October, 2016, and August 2017
From: Jim White
Date: November 5, 2015
Subject: VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange Exposure - Part 2
Gee, Guys, I got so many replies, suggestions and advice as a result of my previous message that I really don't know where to begin. I appreciate all of them. Here are some comments in return.
First, the message from Brian1russ: Brian mentioned that I should have Class 6 and not Class 8 status. This is an area (unrelated to the disability decision?) that I am still working on. Although they may exist, I don't know of any DAV, AL or AmVets organizations here in Japan, but there is a small VFW group at Camp Zama--and, if I run into problems with changing my class 8 status, I may turn to them. Actually, I am trying to get on the Agent Orange Registry. (On the other hand, am I already there?) Being in Japan and having Tri-Care Prime, I have free full health care and all of my prescriptions are free from the on-base clinics/hospitals. Don't need to bother with $9 prescriptions.
He also said that "VA disability no longer reduces retirement pay." According to a CRDP website, one is entitled to Concurrent Retirement and Disability pay (CRDP), "if you are a regular retiree with a VA disability rating of 50 percent of greater." Guess I'll stay happy with "no cancer, a 20% disability, and the reduction in retirement pay." It sure beats the thought of having "full-blown cancer, a 50+% disability and no reduction in retirement pay."
I don't think I wrote and I certainly didn't intend to imply that I had "active bladder cancer." I did, in early September, have a rather "active bladder infection" but that is a horse of a different color. It appears that I have a very few pre-prostate cancer cells but hopefully, they will never be called to active duty.
Not all of us with AFVN were 71R announcers and/or DJs--in spite of rumors to the contrary. Many of us were engineers of various types, supply people and even--"Heaven Forbid"--had an administrative MOS. With the exception of briefly holding a truck driver's MOS (for purposes of promotion only in 1954), a First Sergeant's MOS (when I was a First Sergeant in 1954) and a Translator/Interpreters MOS after finishing the Monterey Language School in 1959, I was always either a 71H (Personnel) or 71L (Administration). My MOS when with AFVN was 71L50, Administrative Supervisor. My 71H background was also useful, because a lot of those with AFVN wanted early outs to go to school, etc. I worked under the Adjutant as well as was "acting First Sergeant" (No formal authorization for a First Sergeant when I was with AFVN in 1970/71.) Therefore, my Vietnam MOS does not qualify me for a "tinnitus" disability. Unfortunately, while at AFVN, my desk was separated by a rather thin wall from one of the air-conditioning units so I do have a slight problem with high tones but no "ringing in my ears" other than when my wife is yelling at me.
Now for Brian Wickham's message (which is obviously directed to everyone): Good advice for those with heart problems, but, at 81, my blood pressure is normally in the 120s over the 60s with a pulse also in the 60s. I much prefer those numbers to "a nice chunk of change" because of a heart problem. Having said that, Brian, I hope you can stay on this side of the sod for many years to come.
Jay Lehman: You deserve both with no deductions.
Bob Peetz: Again, this looks like good advice and I am going to follow up on it. The Army site for "Combat Related Special Compensation" (CRSC, not to be confused with CRDP, above) appears to be https://www.hrc.army.mil/TAGD/CRSC His links to the other services all appear to be valid.
From: Bob Peetz
Date: November 5, 2015
Subject: VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange Exposure - Part 2
Reply #2 - Thanks for the broken link info, you would be surprised how often they get changed.
Getting on the Agent Orange Registry usually involves getting an Agent Orange Physical (free) from the VA, but it isn’t mandatory.
I included proof that I was a ‘boots on the ground’ Vietnam Vet when I filed my first claim for hearing and they put me on the registry.
Call and ask them. Do you have a VA Health-E-Vet login? You could ask them through that if you want to avoid being on hold.
I highly recommend taking a look at the Vietnam Veterans of America’s April 2015 edition of their Self Help Guide To Service Connected Disability Compensation For Exposure To Agent Orange ? download it here.
Hope it helps.
Winds, Bob
From: Bob Peetz
Date: February10, 2016
Subject: Still No for Blue Water Vets
VA denies Blue Water Vets -- again. Click Here
Winds, Bob
From: Brian Russ
Date: November 4, 2015
Subject: VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange Exposure
Wow, Lets start with your class 8 status. All Vietnam vets (boots on the ground for 1 day or more) who are on the Agent Orange registry are Class 6 which gives you full health care, no means test and $9 prescriptions. I recently read that the VA disability no longer reduces your retirement pay. You should also get back pay to the date you applied for disability. If you are currently being treated for active bladder cancer you should be on temporary 100% The 20% rating should be appealed and a K rating for ED should be applied for (if you have that). Bladder cancer can be as high as 60%. You should also apply for "tinnitous" (tone in the ears) because or your Vietnam MOS. You actually need to see a VSO (Veterans Sevice Officer) they do not work for the VA and I am sure you have a DAV, VFW, American Legion or Am Vets somewhere in Japan. Thet do all of this for free and are good.
From: John Lehman
Date: November 5, 2015
Subject: VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange Exposure
Jim, I get both now with no deductions on either. Dual compensation has been fully approved. In the beginning, I too had amount of VA compensation subtracted from Army retirement but the law changed over three years ago.
Jay
From: Brian Wickham
Date: November 4, 2015
Subject: VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange Exposure
Back in 2010 I put in for an Agent Orange fast track claim based on my ischemic heart disease (I had a quad bypass 20 years ago and two stents since then.) They e-mailed me this summer to show up for an interview. I spoke to a nice woman who took down a lot of info and since I was there I scheduled a hearing test based on having been a 71R. My hearing is ok and they billed me $50 for the test, a bargain. In October I was awarded a 60% disability rating for heart disease, backdated to 2009. That's a nice chunk of change plus a monthly check from now on.
I would urge any of you who have heart disease to put in the paperwork.
Brian
From: Brian Russ
Date: November 18, 2015
Subject: VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange Exposure - Part 2
Jim
I am glad everything is going well with your claim. If you are group 3 and getting 20% for your prostate you are definitely on the Agent Orange Registry. No means test for anyone in group 6 or less . Ar least they will pay you for your 20% Good luck and stay hjealthy
Brian
From: Jim White
Date: November 4, 2015
Subject: Disability Rating for Agent Orange Exposure
The following is FYI. It most likely doesn't apply to many of you--but who knows?
Last April and May, when going to Yokosuka Naval Base for other things, I saw the VA Rep who is stationed there several times. (The VA has a system of rotating agents, each staying at Yokosuka for 6 to 8 months. They also visit Zama and Atsugi and most likely other bases as well.) The most helpful young lady who was there at the time assisted me in applying for a VA disability rating based upon having prostate problems and having been in Vietnam.
The first response was a letter from the VA Health Eligibility Center dated August 26, 2015 asking for all sorts of things I had already submitted (DD 214, etc.) They also put me in "Group 8" (they don't go no lower) as far as being eligible for health benefits is concerned. To be honest, that doesn't worry me because I have Japanese health insurance that pays 90% of my medical expenses here and then, subject to $150 deduction, Tri-Care picks up the other 10%. I also, based on Tri-Care and having Medicare Part A and B get completely free health care through Camp Zama and Yokosuka Naval Base.
Then, just today I got a letter from the VA Evidence Intake Center in Newman, GA, that said that I was being given a 20% disability rating. (To be honest, I was expecting it to be 5%.) The criteria that applies in my case is "[20%] is based upon having a daytime voiding interval between one and two hours or awakening to void three or four times a night." The amount I will get from VA is deducted from my military retirement pay, so in "real dollars"--no change. However the 20% that I get from the VA is income-tax free. This doesn't mean much for 2015 because the 20% kicks in from November 1st, but beginning next year it should make a noticeable difference.
The paperwork involved:
・Disability Benefit Questionnaire (form from the VA Rep, filled out by the Urologist at Yokosuka as he interviewed me).
・Service Treatment Records, from August 28, 1970 through January 31, 1974.
・DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, from August 27, 1970 through January 31, 1974.
・VA Form 21-526-EZ: Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation: An on-line form completed
with assistance from the VA Rep at Yokosuka.
・Veterans APO Addresses 96222 and 96243. These threw me briefly, but 96222 was the MACV APO and APO 96243 was
perhaps Tan Son Nhut.
To explain the above dates: August 28, 1970 was the date I reenlisted in Vietnam. January 31, 1974 was my retirement date.
I think that six/seven months was adequately prompt, particularly after all of the horror stories one hears about the slowness of the VA.
Jim W