Gillibrand seeks change in Agent Orange policy

Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009 for the Senate has the same name in the house. The senate version has been said will be identical to the house version, I cannot verify that until I see it. It has taken four decades to get to this point. We thought this was solved with the Agent Orange Act that was passed and signed into law in 1991. Unforeseen by the Congress was the liberty of interpretation taken by the Veterans Administration legal staff. This new legislation will remove the ability for the VA to deny benefits on a whim. A call and to your Senators and congressman followed up by letter or Email would help this become a reality.

TO ANYONE THAT CARES ABOUT DYING VETERANS, THE LAWS OF AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE ARE WRONG. ALL VETERANS EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE HERBICIDES MUST BE TREATED EQUALLY NO MATTER WHERE THEY WERE EXPOSED. EXPOSED IS EXPOSED. ONE VET DYING FROM AGENT ORANGE IN VIETNAM IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANOTHER VET DYING FROM AGENT ORANGE IN GUAM BOTH SERVING AT THE SAME TIME. THEY BOTH ARE DYING FROM THE SAME AO HERBICIDES PERIOD.
VA Announces Changes in Agent Orange Benefits, State Division of Veterans’ Affairs Ready to Assist New York Veterans
Posted by Casey Lumbra on October 16, 2009 at 10:59am
View Casey Lumbra's blog
ALBANY, NY (10/15/2009)(readMedia)-- On Tuesday, the US Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., released a significant change to Agent Orange Benefits which will affect many New York Veterans.
Relying on an independent study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki decided to establish a service-connection for Vietnam Veterans with three specific illnesses based on the latest evidence of an association with the herbicides referred to Agent Orange.
The illnesses affected by the recent decision are B cell leukemia's, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson’s disease; and ischemic heart disease.
In practical terms, Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a “presumed” illness don’t have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This “presumption” simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.
"Secretary Shinseki's announcement this week to expand yet again the number of presumed illnesses for Veterans who served in Vietnam should be welcome news to many of the nearly 312,000 Vietnam Veterans who reside in New York. The expansion of the presumptive class of benefits associated with Agent Orange is welcome news. I fully expect that the Secretary’s actions will provide benefits to a large number of New York’s Veterans who were not previously eligible. I encourage any Veteran who served in Vietnam to contact the Division to help determine their eligibility for benefits including these new presumptive categories of illness," said Jim McDonough, Director, New York State Division of Veterans' Affairs.
The New York State Division of Veterans Affairs stands ready to assist New York Veterans with this and all Veterans benefits. Veterans can find a local state Veterans counselor by calling 1-888-838-7697 or online at www.veterans.ny.gov .
RALPH STANTON AND I BOTH WERE STERILIZED AT THE SAME TIME AT ANDERSEN AFB....GO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT.......NO MORE LIES NO MORE DENIES
I HAVE SEVERE HEART DISEASE, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, EDEMA, HYPER TENSION, IMMUNE DEFICENCIES, MEMORY LOSS, SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTIONS, SEVERE SPINAL STENOSIS AND SPONDIOLYSIS, PERIPHERAL NERVE DAMAGE ETC. RALPH HAS THEM PLUS DIABETES II AND SEVERE TUMORS ALL OVER HIS TORSO
LerRoy G. Foster, MSgt, USAF, Ret
Life Member of the DAV of New York State
Member of the American Legion Post 777, Celeron, NY
Member of the Vietnam Veterans of America
70% Service Connected 100% Unemployable
Totally and Permanently Disabled from Agent Orange on Guam
NEW YORK STATE RESIDENT

More info. On agent Orange - I am still fighting with Veterans Affairs on Heart disease = ischemic heart disease - I have been tured down and still fighting!
Vietnam Veterans
Veterans who served in-country Vietnam between 1962 and 1975 (including those who visited Vietnam even briefly) and who have a disease that VA recognizes as being associated with exposure to Agent Orange are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Vietnam veterans with these specific diseases do not have to show that their diseases are related to their military service to get disability compensation.
READ WHAT IT SAYS - I have proof but still turned down! Veterans Affairs does not go by there own rules or laws!
(read below more about agent orange)
All one can do is fight till the end! Just due for a Veteran is never over till we are all gone!
My be that is what they are waiting for?

Ken1569 wrote:

More info. On agent Orange - I am still fighting with Veterans Affairs on Heart disease = ischemic heart disease - I have been tured down and still fighting!
Vietnam Veterans
Veterans who served in-country Vietnam between 1962 and 1975 (including those who visited Vietnam even briefly) and who have a disease that VA recognizes as being associated with exposure to Agent Orange are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange. Vietnam veterans with these specific diseases do not have to show that their diseases are related to their military service to get disability compensation.
READ WHAT IT SAYS - I have proof but still turned down! Veterans Affairs does not go by there own rules or laws!
(read below more about agent orange)
All one can do is fight till the end! Just due for a Veteran is never over till we are all gone!
My be that is what they are waiting for?

WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE? WERE CAN I FIND IT? WHY DID THEY TURN YOU DOWN?
Thank You and Thank You for your service.

JAMES HOLMES wrote:

<quoted text>
WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE? WERE CAN I FIND IT? WHY DID THEY TURN YOU DOWN?
Thank You and Thank You for your service.

my proof is in paper work dd214 says I was there vietnam - orders on where I was station - health info from vietnman - ageng orange registory I belong to - Why was I turned down? Well it's called red tape and paper work - veterans affairs staff who do not read and who do not understand agent orange and I have now got my congress men working on it also!- first get all info you need from the past - have a senator or congressman leand a hand it works = I know some do not like what or who they are but they have helped me in the past and I got what was due to me! I am again useing them on my heart

You can apply for sc for Ischemic Heart Disease but these cases will not be processed until this is put in the federal registry, an FR notice. The date of the FR notice will be the date of your claim if it is already filed.
There is a lot to be hashed out on this, like what is the definition of IHD for purposes of DVA. It will take some time.