For Your Benefit
For and about Hawaii's military
See also: In The Military
Shipboard chemical
tests raise concernsQuestion: What is the VA doing for veterans who were exposed to Project SHAD and other chemical and biological tests held in Hawaii?
Answer: Project SHAD, an acronym for Shipboard Hazard and Defense, was part of the larger Project 112, a 1960s program by the Defense Department. Veterans who believe they may have been exposed to dangerous substances as part of Project SHAD or Project 112 are encouraged to come to the VA for a medical evaluation. As the Defense Department provides the VA with personnel rosters of service members involved in tests, the VA tries to find the current addresses of veterans. So far, 1,300 veterans have been notified by the VA about their potential exposure and informed about VA programs to help them.
Since December 2000, the VA has offered medical evaluations to veterans concerned about whether the tests affected their health. To date, 55 veterans have applied for VA disability compensation because they believe their medical problems are related to Project SHAD.
On Oct. 8, the VA announced that it has contracted with the Institute of Medicine to conduct a three-year, $3 million study of potential long-term health effects of tests conducted on board Navy ships in the 1960s. The institute's formal epidemiological study will determine whether Project SHAD veterans are experiencing health problems due to exposures during military service. The study will compare the health of veterans who participated in the SHAD tests with the health of veterans from the same era who served on ships not involved with the testing.
For more information on Project SHAD, the web site is at www.va.gov/SHAD. If you participated in any of the Project SHAD tests or the Project 112 land-based tests, contact the VA at 433-1000.
Q: Can a veteran join with a nonveteran who is not his or her spouse in obtaining a VA loan?
A: Yes, but the guaranty is based only on the veteran's portion of the loan and cannot cover the nonveteran's portion. Consult lenders to determine whether they would be willing to accept applications for joint loans of this type. Lenders that are willing will likely require a down payment to cover risk on the unguaranteed, nonveteran's portion. Unlike other loans, the lender must submit joint loans to the VA for approval before they are made. Both incomes can be used to qualify for the loan. But the veteran's income must be sufficient to repay at least that portion of the loan related to the veteran's interest in (portion of) the property, and the nonveteran's income adequate to cover the rest.
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.
