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 Vallarta Living | Veteran Affairs | September 2006 
VA Updates and Adventures
 David Lord - PVNN
| | A file photo dated February 26, 1991 of a U.S. soldier standing night guard as oil wells burn in the distance in Kuwait. Troops deployed during the 1990-1991 Gulf War get sicker than most other veterans, but a panel of experts looking for evidence of a suspected Gulf War Syndrome said this week they could not find it. (Reuters/Andy Clark) |
As previously written, I want to stress that Veterans with Viet Nam Service aboard US Naval Ships have temporarily regained benefits, but the VA may challenge this reversal of their policy in a court of appeals. As such, Senator Lane Evans Urges “Blue Water” Veterans and Survivors to File Claims with VA for disabilities associated with Agent Orange.
SENATOR LANE EVANS URGES “BLUE WATER” VETERANS AND SURVIVORS TO APPLY FOR BENEFITS NOW
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 National Veterans Legal Services Program website: Click HERE.
For more information, contact Geoffrey Collver in the US at [202] 225-9756, or visit the House Veterans' Affairs Committee Democratic Website: Click HERE. In Puerto Vallarta, call David Lord at 044 [322] 205-1323 or send an email to david.lord@yahoo.com.
PUERTO VALLARTA TO HOUSTON EMERGENCY TRIP UPDATE
As reported in last week's article, I have just returned from making an emergency trip for a Veteran living in this area. The update on my adventures with this Veteran follows:
After eighteen days in the Houston VA our Veteran is doing very well. In fact, he may return to Mexico on his own [by bus.] The diagnosis he received here in Mexico related to his heart condition was totally wrong. Remember, when he contacted me he was ready to have another replacement of the four stints that were put in just 3 years ago at a cost of $50,000 USD. The only reason he did not do so was his lack of the up-front money needed for various tests the Mexican doctors required before performing the procedure.
When he contacted me I suggested that he, as a 100% service connected Veteran, did not have to pay these out-of-pocket expenses if he would go to Houston VA. The "how to get there" issue was resolved by using the Veterans Service RV, which made the trip safer and more convenient since there is a bed and bathroom onboard.
The trip took 48 hours instead of the 30 it would normally take. The flat tire on the rear duals made for a slow four-hour drive at fifteen miles an hour into Zacatecas, where, after another four hours, a roadside tire shop made the repair. Unknown to us at the time was the fact that the exhaust pipe on that side of the RV was jammed against the interior wall just behind the left rear tires - so off we went - totally unaware.
Then, when we reached the long line for the Laredo Border crossing at five pm, the motor was running hot so we had to keep revving the motor to circulate the radiator water enough to lower the temperature gauge below the red line so the motor would keep running in the one hundred degree heat.
After the Veteran’s Purple Heart RV passed through the new x-ray detection device at the border, we were cleared to go. It was not until around 9 pm that a smell of burning plastic passed inside the cabin as we drove at sixty miles an hour on the interstate toward Houston. I asked the Veteran if he smelled what I did, and he answered "yes."
So I pulled off the freeway and rolled to a stop, looked through the cabin for any signs of smoke, and finding nothing, exited and walked around the rear of the RV, where I thought I saw fire coming from the rear wheels. I ran back around and followed the Veteran out of the vehicle with fire extinguisher in hand.
After a major adrenaline surge, I was able to put the fire out and discover the cause of this near disaster. The fellow in Mexico had jacked-up the tail pipe along with the frame, which caused the engine to overheat at the border and finally caused a fire by being pressed against the rear wall of the RV's body. Thankfully, all's well that ends well.
 David Lord served in Vietnam as combat Marine for 1st Battalion 26th Marines, during which time he was severely wounded. He received the Purple Heart and the Presidential Unit Citation for his actions during the war in Vietnam. In Mexico, David now represents all veterans south of the US border all the way to Panama, before the VA and the Board of Veterans Appeals. David Lord provides service to veterans at no fee. Veterans are welcome to drop in and discuss claims/benefits to which they are entitled by law at his office located at Bayside Properties, 160 Francisca Rodriguez, tel.: 223-4424, call him at home 299-5367, on his cell: 044 (322) 205-1323, or email him at mophmx@@yahoo.com or david.lord@yahoo.com.
Click HERE for more Veteran Affairs with David Lord »»» |
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