Benefits from VA- Help

jj826
0 Recommendations

I need some help from anyone who knows the VA system. My dad had been dx with Lung Cancer. He was exposed to agent orange in Vietnam. I have mentioned several times at visits but no doctor will put this in his chart. They make statements like well you can not tell it was the agent orange or the smoking. I said that's right you can not tell if it was or wasn't the agent orange. I found out that he will get more benefits if this is on his chart. We live (round trip) 5 hours from the hospital and I believe it is unreasonable to ask a sick patient to drive that much when if they but this on his chart he is eligible for fee based at our hospital in town. Who do I talk to about this and having it on his chart?
Second, Another person mentioned the Mill Bill and said he should be covered by that. My dad has no service disabilities and no other insurance so he must use VA. I do not want to take advantage of the system but he was exposed and he should get the same rights as others.

Thanks for any help,
Paula

7 replies

robinwd

Go to your local Vet Center....it is staffed by usually a former non-com who knows all the ropes to help you work through the system. It is NOT affiliated w/ the VA Medical Centers; they sure know what to tell you to do!

sisabella

If you are driving 5 hours it seems you may be coming to Atlanta for treatment?? I know several people in the Atlanta area that can assist you with getting the benefits you need for your father if this is the case. If you are heading somewhere else I would recommend you contact the service officer of your local VA and get them to start on a claim filing for your father related to Agent Orange. There are currently evaluations going on at the VA for Agent Orange exposure and they should get him in relatively quickly to get him tested for this and update his file. Let me know where you are going for treatments and i will see what I can do for you.

jj826

He is going to Nashville, TN VA

Paula

yorkie

YOU JUST HAVE TO KEEP PUSHING THE BUTTONS, ASK SOMEONE IN THE VA HOSPITAL IN RECORDS.....THERE IS A SPECIAL AREA FOR RECORDS....MY HUSBAND IS USING THE VA AND WASN'T INVOVED IN AGENT ORANGE AND GOT TREATMENT....JUST LOOK FOR TREATMENT...THAT IS THE MAIN THING....GOOD LUCK

Marine

The VA presumes that all military personnel who served in Vietnam were exposed to Agent Orange, and federal law presumes that certain illnesses are a result of that exposure. This preumptive policy simplifies the process of receiving compensation for these diseases since VA forgoes the normal requirements of proving that an illness began or was worsened during military service. Respiratory cancers such as lung cancer and prostate cancer are on the list of presumptive disabilities. Call 1-800-827-1000 for an application form. I currently am drawing compensation for prostate cancer and have a claim in for my lung cancer.

Nova_Scotia

Hi
My husband filed for a service connected pension due to exposure to agent orange. I don't believe that his Dr's at sloan have included that in his chart. Regardless, the VA has their own Dr. who examined my husband, so I doubt that having it on his chart is will make any difference. They will require all of the medical records that he has to date. We filed his claim in July, he was given an appointment at the VA hospital in September, and we are still waiting for confirmation from the VA. It is a very slow process. Your Dad will require his DD214 and any other military records he may have. The vet center is a great place to start as they can point you in the right direction. If your Dad needs to be treated for care at a VA hospital I am sure that there must be a quicker way to have that taken care of, as for any pension it will be a wait. Ask his Dr's for copies of his reports and any clinical notes that they have, keep a copy for your files and bring a copy to any VA appointments. The VA have a way of misplacing things, and work on getting his DD214 if he does not have a copy of it.

davecerami275

Contact the DAV and have them assist you in filing a claim.

http://www.dav.org/veterans/claim_representation.html

seMPer fidelis

Dave

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