VA Will Soon Begin Processing Claims for 3 New Agent Orange Illnesses A U.S. Huey helicopter sprays Agent Orange over Vietnam. The U.S. military used at least 11 million gallons of Agent Orange in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972. (Wikimedia Commons) Foot dragging by the VA appears to have slowed! Too little too late. Yes this adds more to my list of Agent Orange Service Connected problems! We will do all we can to inform other Vets of this increase of benefits. HK 27 May 2021 Military.com | By Patricia Kime The Department of Veterans Affairs will soon start processing claims for three new presumptive illnesses linked to exposure to herbicides in Vietnam and elsewhere. It also plans to automatically review all previous claims and denials for the conditions, VA officials said Thursday. According to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, the department in coming weeks will issue a policy to implement a law that added bladder cancer, hypothyroidism and Parkinsonism -- or Parkinson's-like symptoms -- to the list of conditions considered linked to Agent Orange exposure. Veterans with a listed condition have an expedited process for receiving health care and benefits from the VA. Read Next: VA to Expedite Benefits for Post 9/11 Veterans Asthma, Respiratory Problems The National Defense Authorization Act, approved Jan. 1, added the three conditions to the list of diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants used during the Vietnam War. Veterans whose claims are approved may receive an earlier date for entitlement to benefits -- a decision that could result in more compensation. "Many of our Nation's Veterans have waited a long time for these benefits," said McDonough. "VA will not make them wait any longer. This is absolutely the right thing to do for Veterans and their families." The department plans to automatically review previously denied claims and will notify those veterans or their survivors via mail. According to McDonough, benefits could be extended to roughly 52,000 veterans and 6,000 surviving family members "in the first year alone." "This means that any Vietnam veteran suffering from one of these three new conditions can now file and receive benefits and care and, consistent with [a court ruling, Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs], their survivors who previously filed and those who were denied benefits will have their cases automatically reviewed," he said. VA officials could not provide a timeline for adjudicating claims and providing benefits. They said the department is looking at ways to accelerate claims processing and has been chipping away at a claims backlog. As of this week, the backlog is 190,000 claims, down from 211,000 in January, according to McDonough. He has said that veterans should file claims for illnesses they believe are service-connected even if the conditions aren't listed as presumed to be related to service. "Oftentimes, the absence of a presumption serves as a disincentive for an individual vet to come forward with her claim, which obviously speaks to a trust issue we have on the claims process," McDonough said in late March. "So the first thing I'd say is ... if [veterans] have a claim ... please come forward with it." -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakim
For Sailors, Apparently they used-to auto-denied all claims by sailors at-sea, but 2-3 weeks ago I received this in a VA email; =-== Blue Water Navy - Nehmer The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it will readjudicate claims for Veterans who served in the offshore waters of the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. This review is part of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s implementation of the November 5, 2020, U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California decision to readjudicate previously denied claims as applied in Nehmer vs. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans who were previously denied service connection for an herbicide related presumptive condition due to lack of in-country Vietnam service will automatically have their claims readjudicated. Readjudication means VA will review the evidence of record and provide replacement decisions in the cases of Veterans who were previously denied service connection for one or more herbicide related conditions on the basis that military service was not performed on the landmass of the Republic of Vietnam or on its inland waterways. This review will also apply to eligible survivors of deceased Vietnam era Veterans.VA is dedicated to ensuring all Veterans receive the benefits they have earned. VA ensures that we have the proper resources in place to meet the needs of the Veteran community. Eligible survivors of deceased Veterans may also benefit from the policy and may be eligible for benefits based on the Veterans’ service. Veterans who have a condition caused by herbicide exposure during military service can learn more about Agent Orange exposure at this website. =-== the link [ Agent Orange exposure and VA disability compensation | Veterans Affairs ]
Problem is that they said the same thing in 2019 to start in 2020. YMMV But I can say they woke up when I input my 7 claims from the Historic Claims section. So I added a couple more and will add 3 more come next week. Yup I am lucky to be alive and looking for some answers if the colon cancer doesn't get me first.
Well, this is a new one since it is based a a court decision from 5 Nov. 2020. Keep trying and good luck! /me rubs his Buddha's Belly for HK_Users good luck
I suggest that it was redone as to date due to the Pandemic. If you can find the citation on line then it would have the reason for a change.
So here is the Law.Text - H.R.299 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 Which state in 2019 to start in Jan 2020 (ii) <<NOTE: Effective date.>> The veteran or survivor submits a claim for disability compensation on or after January 1, 2020, for the same condition covered by the prior claim under clause (i), and the claim is approved pursuant to this section.
