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Agent Orange disabilitiesQuestion: I served in Vietnam in 1968. I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I heard that the VA has linked prostate cancer to Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam. Can I still apply for benefits after all these years?
Answer: The VA presumes that all persons who served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1975, including those who visited Vietnam even briefly or served in the water offshore (if reflected on their DD Form 214 or other service records) were exposed to Agent Orange. Several disabilities have been identified as related to Agent Orange exposure. These include: acne that is documented to having started within one year of exposure to Agent Orange; Hodgkin's disease; multiple myeloma (plasma cell disease with multiple bone marrow tumors); non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is a group of malignant lymphomas; porphyria cultanea tarda (a disease characterized by skin photosensitivity that causes scarring, hyperpigmation, excessive facial hair), which must have occurred within one year of exposure to Agent Orange; prostate cancer; respiratory cancers (cancer of the lungs, bronchus, larynx trachea; soft tissue sarcoma (malignant tumor)); and diabetes.
VA benefits include medical care for disabilities claimed by the veteran to be related to Agent Orange exposure, and disability compensation. Normally, for VA compensation, disabilities must start during service. However, the VA makes an exception for diseases that may be caused by Agent Orange exposure. Vietnam veterans also are eligible for an Agent Orange medical registry examination that involves a physical examination and basic laboratory tests. If you have one of the above disabilities and believe it is related to your tour in Vietnam and exposure to Agent Orange, contact the VA at 433-1000.
Q: I am a veteran working to get certified by the American Hospital Association. Does VA pay the testing fees?
A: The American Hospital Association recently announced that four AHA certification examinations have been accepted into the VA licensing and certification benefit. The VA benefit will cover exams for certified healthcare environmental services professionals, certified healthcare facility managers, certified materials and resource professionals and certified professionals in healthcare risk management. Veterans who are eligible for the Montgomery G.I. Bill, the Veterans Education Assistance Program or the Dependents Educational Assistance programs can be reimbursed for the original, retake and renew fees, up to $2,000 for each exam. Additional information is available at www.gibill.va.gov/education/benefits.htm or contact VA at 433-1000.
If you have questions about your benefits as a veteran,
call Fred Ballard at the Veterans Affairs at 433-0049
or the Star-Bulletin at 529-4747.Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for the Star-Bulletin,
can be reached by phone at 294-4075
or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.
