Part 1 of series by The Chicago Tribune on Agent Orange
http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/
"Memories of the Vietnam War are dimming, but veterans and Vietnamese nationals who were exposed to Agent Orange and other dioxin-laced defoliants are still experiencing devastating health effects, and birth defects have brought the impact into a second generation. Yet the U.S. government has yet to make full amends, either in the U.S. or overseas.
To report this series, the Tribune interviewed nearly two dozen civilians and former soldiers in Vietnam as well as researching thousands of pages of documents and traveling to the homes of veterans in the U.S. "
Simply put, it isn't about the legitimacy of the claim, it is about saving money. Congress gives X amount of dollars that limits the amount of dollars VA can provide. “When you first go to the VA,” says Michael Cowan, a Vietnam veteran-turned-activist, “you are denied benefits. Fifty percent of the vets don’t go back. The second time you are denied, you lose another 25%. You must be willing to put up with total BS to get help” (Witteman, Paul A. “Lost in America.” Time 11 Feb. 1991. History Resource Center: U.S. ). I have been fighting the system for over 10 years and it is obvious to me that it is nothing short of deliberate what the Adjudicators are doing even to the point of questioning a physicians credentials by asking for references. You give them the information they say they need and then after many months they come back with a denial saying they need additional information. Give them that, and in my case with a denial stating they needed the exact same information i gave them in the first place. My problems are anything new and I am not alone as the article indicates. It has been said that those POWs in past wars had to prove their issues were the result of maltreatment as a POW. They don't have any medical records from that time. Don't ever give up the fight, that is what VA is hoping you'll do. Honolulu, Hawaii
ReplyDeleteWitteman, Paul A. “Lost in America.” Time 11 Feb. 1991. History Resource Center: U.S. said in his book: “When you first go to the VA,” says Michael Cowan, a Vietnam veteran-turned-activist, “you are denied benefits. Fifty percent of the vets don’t go back. The second time you are denied, you lose another 25%. You must be willing to put up with total BS to get help” It is all about money. Congress allocates the money to VA. VA has to ration it as there isn't enough to pay everyone who has filed a legitimate claim so they have no choice to deny the claim. As Mr. Cowan so aptly stated, every time they deny a claim, fewer people continue the process. The VA system has not changed since it was founded and the veterans of the most recent conflicts are finding this out. All talk, but no sincere action form the people that put us in harms way. Funny how this country can give away billions of dollars to other countries, but doesn't seem to have any spare change for those who served this country. It's important that veterans become active and hold our politicians accountable and do what you can to see those people defeated.
ReplyDeleteMy person experience is having a claim denied and being told they need specific information. Funny since I gave then that exact information the first time. They have also questioned the physicians evaluation and diagnosis by asking for references to back up his analysis. One major problem is if the physician is not working for VA, the adjudication process seems to find fault in the information provided by the physician. It is a vicious cycle with the deliberate intent to make you either stop and go away or die first. Honolulu, Hawaii