Posts Tagged ‘ Alan Simpson ’

Agent Orange: Is this Really How We Treat our Veterans?

September 15th, 2010. By Kristine B

Last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it was increasing the number of health problems linked to exposure to Agent Orange. If you’re not familiar, Agent Orange was a dioxin-laden defoliant used in Vietnam to take away the foliage so the Viet Cong had nowhere to hide. It was previously linked to a variety of health problems, including cancers.

New regulations allow the VA to presume that veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 were exposed to Agent Orange. This means the veterans only have to show they were in Vietnam during that time—they do not have to prove they were exposed to Agent Orange. The new regulations also add medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease to the list of conditions already linked to Agent Orange.

Basically, the new regulations mean people who were previously denied disability benefits are now eligible to receive those benefits. All they have to do is show they have one of the conditions linked to Agent Orange and show they were in Vietnam during the specified years.

Some people question the move, saying that these medical conditions could have developed in the veterans as they aged—even if they weren’t exposed to Agent Orange. They say the new regulations will cost too much money—money the government doesn’t have.

When do we actually start taking proper care of our veterans? In addition to horrific conditions at some of the VA hospitals, claims of veteran medical malpractice, poor treatment and denials of disability pay, now people don’t want to pay for medical conditions the veterans suffered simply because it could cost too much money?

Haven’t the veterans done enough for the US to warrant a small amount of money for their pain and suffering? Never mind that we used to write off veterans post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and other psychological trauma experienced by veterans—who faced horrors many Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Agent Orange, Alan Simpson, Veterans
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