For Vietnam era veterans, do you feel the VA has done you wrong?

SPC Richard Zacke — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 15:25:55 -0400

I have had several friends die fron dioxion poisioning in Agent Orange after decades of fighting with the VA. Have you had simular problems and it does not just have to be Agent Orange but any service related condition the VA has denied you.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 12 at 2020 3:27 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 15:27:40 -0400

I'm not a Vietnam war veteran,but I do know several of them, and I haven't heard any negativity from them.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 12 at 2020 3:44 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 15:44:26 -0400

SPC Richard Zacke I am a Vietnam Veteran that will continue to fight the VA. The VA is like any other large government organization.

Response by SGT Ed Matyjasik made Mar 12 at 2020 4:54 PM

SGT Ed Matyjasik — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 16:54:00 -0400

I could write a BOOK about poor, outdated medical treatment from the VA Medical Center in Buffalo NY. I have heard that some parts of the country veterans love their VA. Me, not so much.

Response by SGT Robert Pryor made Mar 12 at 2020 6:11 PM

SGT Robert Pryor — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 18:11:01 -0400

VA has done fine by me. For medical care I've actually had doctors I call groupies. They love having me as a patient because I don't let my medical conditions interfere with my daily life. My disability benefits have always been fine. I have been rated 100% since my medical retirement in 1969. One day I was in the Army, drawing Jump Pay and Combat pay, the next day I was on Total disability from VA. My only problem had to do with a service connected condition, prosopagnosia, which most doctors have never experienced because it's so rare. It took me a couple of years to get the VA to figure out how to rate it, but with my help, and the help of the world's two top clinicians in the field, VA figured it out and I am rated at the next higher rating above 100%. The VA said my symptoms were subjective. (they had to take my word for it). The problem with VA's logic was that the part of the brain where facial recognition takes place, and where images are stored, were lost when I was shot in the head in Viet Nam. Once the two top experts in the field told them all that, the VA gave in and stopped calling it subjective.

Response by CSM Thomas Ray made Mar 12 at 2020 9:53 PM

CSM Thomas Ray — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 21:53:12 -0400

Personal experience, I have had no problems with the VA recently, and the VA clinic is top notch. The reason Viet Nam veterans have a problem is back when vets were coming back from VN, there was a nonexistent VA and any problems you had were not handled. The treatment for PTSD was to self medicate with alcohol or drugs. I left with a bad taste in my mouth and never went back for almost 30 years.

Response by PO1 Orlando Miller made Mar 13 at 2020 8:22 AM

PO1 Orlando Miller — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 08:22:03 -0400

As the largest healthcare system in the world, the VA is a bureaucratic nightmare. You've got to be savvy enough to navigate and cut through the red tape, regulations and ever-changing policies to get the help YOU deserve. It's not just Vietnam veterans but ALL veterans who are often under-served; like Veteran Joel Marrable who died at Atlanta VA Medical Center after being bitten 100 times by ants on two separate occasions. Don't get me started with the VA....
https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/woman-says-father-was-covered-in-ant-bites-before-death-at-va-medical-center/985316944/

Woman says father was bitten 100+ times by ants before death at VA Medical Center

Laquna Ross told Channel 2 Action News she felt after she found her dad with swollen, red bumps all over his body and his hands swollen when she visited him last week before his death at the Eagle’s Nest Community Living Center.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Mar 13 at 2020 10:16 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 10:16:10 -0400

A buddy of mine fought the VA for years and finally got lawyers from a VSO to go to bat. They won their Agent Orange claim this month. Interesting enough, VA dropped a big chunk into his account in a week. VA still refuses to acknowledge Agent Orange by only citing "military herbicide" in the letter. He is being paid more attention at the clinic now. For me, the VA continues to slow walk Agent Orange. Their recent "within 12 miles" criteria for any vessel ignores the persistence of dioxin in the ventilation systems, which is years. The numbers of presumptives would jump. Far better to watch people die and finally admit something when they're gone because you don't owe anything to the dead. Side note. My dad was subjected to mustard gas testing in WW2. It finally caught up to him. VA denied the existence of testing. Dad pulled a box down and copied photographs, records, etc. and sent them to Barbara Boxer. Six weeks later he got a determination for tinnitus and some disability. Problem was he needed help for mustard gas, but since it wasn't acknowledged, the clinics turned him down. I haven't seen much change in how VA looks at Vets in 40 years.

Response by 1LT Vance Titus made Mar 13 at 2020 12:28 PM

1LT Vance Titus — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 12:28:24 -0400

I have an open claim with the VA to increase my disability rating for type II diabetes resulting from exposure to Agent Orange. The claim review is moving into its 4th year with no end in sight. My DAV advocate has no idea when it may be resolved.

Response by CPT Larry Hudson made Mar 13 at 2020 9:45 PM

CPT Larry Hudson — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 21:45:20 -0400

Absolutely not. Been very good with my health care.

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made Mar 16 at 2020 3:44 PM

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 15:44:20 -0400

I'm a Vietnam Veteran and have had a Agent Orange screening, I have some conditions (minor) that according to the VA that may be attributable to that exposure. I have a letter from the VA which makes that statement and written by a VA Doctor. I've always been treated with respect there. I did however have to educate one civilian there how to read the awards section of the DD Form 214,to prove boots on the ground. I had a complete printout anyway of everything I was ever issued which came from the Military Personnel center plus all My copies of any assignment orders I had. I'm still ok but some guys I was stationed with in Vietnam suffer from Agent Orange Exposure and some even in recent years died from cancer directly linked to that exposure.

Response by SPC Richard Zacke made Mar 18 at 2020 7:05 PM

SPC Richard Zacke — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 19:05:24 -0400

SGT Robert Pryor Hey, my wife got a call today saying that our grandson was in an accident that was his fault and they needed 2,200 to get him out. They let him speak to her and she said he sounded just like he always does. They walked her through how to get the money from the bank and then take it outside and put it in the ATM with a speacial code. It's called the grandparents scam. Now the bank and the police are tracking it down...they said she is covered under the anti-fraud system we have on our cards. EVERYONE be careful out there...the police said they hacked our grandsons cell phone and copeied his voice.

Response by Amn Paul Reid made Mar 19 at 2020 1:27 AM

Amn Paul Reid — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 01:27:39 -0400

Yes...I was espoused to herbicides in Thailand during the Vietnam war. The government said they spayed a little bit, but none were I was. I was at NKP on C 130's

Response by SR Brian Binger made Mar 20 at 2020 3:09 PM

SR Brian Binger — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 15:09:19 -0400

The v.a is bullshit. In Portland Oregon