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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 6, 2006
CONTACT: Geoffrey Collver @ 202/225-9756
EVANS URGES “BLUE WATER” VETERANS AND SURVIVORS TO FILE CLAIMS WITH VA
FOR DISABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH AGENT ORANGE
Washington, D.C. – Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL), ranking Democratic member of
the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and senior Member of the House
Armed Services Committee, urges veterans and their survivors who may
have been exposed to Agent Orange in the territorial waters of Vietnam
to file claims for disability compensation with the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) in light of a recent decision of the United States
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. VA has 60 days to decide whether
or not to appeal the decision.
In Haas v. Nicholson, the Court held that veterans who served in the
waters offshore of Vietnam and who contracted a disease related to
exposure to Agent Orange type herbicides did not have to prove that they
stepped on the land of Vietnam in order to qualify for compensation.
“I want to make veterans and military families aware of their potential
eligibility for service-connected compensation as the result of this
court decision. It is important for veterans and survivors to apply for
benefits now, so that their eligibility can be evaluated under the court
ruling,” said Evans. “Under earlier VA Agent Orange regulations, which
were later invalidated, some veterans lost benefits because they never
applied for them. I do not want to see that happen again,” continued
Evans.
Evans recommends that veterans who received the Vietnam Service Medal or
who served in the territorial waters off Vietnam file a claim for
service-connection of disabilities that have been associated with
exposure to Agent Orange. Examples of these disabilities include:
Chloracne, Type 2 Diabetes, Hodgkin’s Disease, Chronic lymphocytic
leukemia, Multiple myeloma, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Porphyria cutanea
tarda, Prostate cancer, Respiratory cancers and Soft tissue sarcomas.
Survivors of veterans who died from such disabilities may be eligible
for VA-provided Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, as well.
“I hope this information will be useful to veterans and their survivors.
I also encourage the VA to work with veterans seeking assistance in
filing service-connection claims for benefits,” added Evans. Additional
information concerning the case may be found on the Web site of the
National Veterans Legal Services Program:
http://www.nvlsp.org/Information/
ArticleLibrary/AgentOrange/AO-hassvnicholson.htm .
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Larry Scott
