All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. The term commercial in reference to herbicides is equally absent from VAs internal policies and procedures and from federal statutes and regulations. I say I was exposed in Thailand due to direct contact with the contaminated equipment form Da namg in 1972 at Nam Phong I have been turned down and I filed a Notice of disagreement and submitted new proofs. VAs distinction between tactical and commercial herbicides has no basis in federal statutes or regulations. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said the update was necessary to improve accuracy and [for] communication of information.. I was a vehicle mechanic. In Thailand, Agent Orange was used to clear the jungle around bases, as a means to enhance security. However, as of the passage of the 2022 Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act on August 10, 2022, VA has officially established a Thailand presumption for veterans. The attorneys at Hill & Ponton are here to support you in your claim and determining your agent orange disability percentage. From 1966 to mid-1968, insurgents conducted 331 assassinations and 1,087 armed encounters. Agent Orange was a weed killer sprayed on the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. Given no more credit than those who lived stateside during same time . In Dr. Alvin Youngs working paper draft of suggested criteria for determining levels of herbicide exposure, he noted that groups exposed to associated dioxin contaminant were personnel assigned to support functions, to include: Personnel that sprayed herbicides using helicopters or ground application equipment; personnel that may have delivered the herbicide to the unit performing the defoliation missions; aircraft mechanics who were specialized and occasionally provided support to RANCH HAND aircrafts. To learn more about current Agent Orange presumptions for Thailand, please visit CCKs PACT Act breakdown. This statement indicates that misuse of herbicides by service members led to the necessity of establishing an SOP. Udorn was again utilized August 31, 1969 to conduct an operation in which RANCH HAND aircraft flew 28 sorties from Thailand to target Laotian crops with Agent Blue using five UC-123s during a seven-day period. The United States Veterans Administration (VA) has announced that, like those who served in Vietnam, veterans who served in Thailand maybe be entitled to VA benefits. Not sure what your veteran health care benefits are? The new list covers tactical herbicides including Agents Orange, Purple, Pink, Green, Blue, White and their active ingredients. Command Sergeant Major Kenneth Witkin stated that grounds personnel informed him they were using Agent Orange when he observed them spraying around barracks. Good luck and thank you very much for your service. The 355th Civil Engineer Squadron and Pacific Air Force (PACAF) Command Agronomist sponsored the training. Phong is determined to finish top of the podium next month. It is imperative to note that sworn statements of Airmen referenced throughout this report predate the Air Force Historical Research Agency discovering and/or releasing documents showing movement of herbicides from Vietnam to Thailand. He recognized in a draft report that the number of military personnel exposed is unknown because most military bases had vehicle-mounted and back-spray units available for use in routine vegetation control. Dr. Youngs documents indicate that herbicides, including Agent Orange and its counterparts, were used for routine vegetation control programs. Veterans who meet the following criteria are eligible for Agent Orange disability benefits and disability compensation: A medical record of having been diagnosed with an Agent Orange-related illness or condition, AND any of the following: Certain Vietnam veteran who operated from Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) bases near U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and Don Muang, near the airbase perimeter anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975 may qualify. He reported that he took time to ride with a mobile unit Security Alert Team around NKP bases perimeters, [and] while going along the east perimeter a crew from civil engineering with a truck with a tank sprayed what Mr. Hogstad believed to be Agent Orange. This directly coincides with Air Force documents stating that defoliation operations around the Udorn perimeter occurred during this period. In such a strict application, VA arbitrarily ignored its own policy of conceding herbicide exposure for veterans who served near the perimeter. His statements corroborate documentation demonstrating the use of herbicides on U-Tapao in 1971 and 1972. This shows a robust relationship between the 315th Air Division and the movement of herbicides. On Thursday, Pennsylvania Reps. Matt Cartwright (D) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R) introduced new legislation to expand the presumption of exposure to Agent Orange for disability benefits to. The Department of Defense has released a new list of locations outside Vietnam where herbicides like Agent Orange were tested and stored, a compilation that could provide some veterans proof. National Archive records also reveal that herbicide missions launched from Thailand on July 6, 1966, August 29, 1966, December 15, 1967, June 7, 1967, April 18, 1969, and March 25, 1970. These services include an Agent Orange Registry health exam and clinical treatment at VA's War Related Illness and Injury Study Center. The Department of Defense had legitimate concerns about the threat to U.S. personnel and equipment, which led to the decision to use herbicides within base perimeters as a means of preventing ambushes in Thailand.6. Gallons of Herbicides Sprayed. If you served in Vietnam or Thailand, or in or near the Korean DMZand your child has . Phoenix, AZ: One Renaissance Tower, Two North Central Avenue, 18th & 19th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85004 Chicago, IL: 332 S. Michigan Avenue, Floors 8 and 9, Chicago, IL 60604 Good luck to all and Semper Fi. Lets reauthorize PEPFAR now, Stakeholder Voices Important to Farm Bill Process, Boozman Continues Leadership to Combat Arkansas Physician Shortage. John Scott, an Airman stationed at Ubon from 1969 to 1972, stated that he assisted in loading barrels ofAgent Orange onto C-123sduring the first part of his tour. We owe you more than you are getting. Aircraft mechanic George Collins testified in a sworn statement that he worked on a RANCH HAND aircraft after it made an emergency landing in U-Tapao. Records from the Ranch Hand History Project show that Sergeant Richard E. Wolf, who worked on Operation RANCH HAND, received a letter of commendation for his actions in Thailand during these operations. Kenneth Witkins statement, he attested to observing Agent Orange being sprayed around the barracks at Udorn in 1970-1971. So, when a stack of orange envelopes arrived in my Washington, D.C. office in mid-September it caught my attention. 196, Congress considered perimeter spraying. Do You Qualify for Long Term Disability Benefits? Years Later, Some Are Saddled With Debt. The distance between base perimeters and other base activities was normally well below 500 meters. Exposure to these herbicides was later determined to pose a health risk to service members. That leaves 21,000 gallons of herbicide unaccounted for with their last known location in Thailand. This matches documentation indicating herbicide use at and after that time. In turn, this supports veterans statements regarding the use of herbicide to clear bases in Thailand during this period. That was the idea behind a campaign initiated by Mena, Arkansas veteran Bill Rhodes and his fellow veterans who served in Thailand during the Vietnam War. VA followed suit by drafting regulations to coincide with the statute by defining the term as follows: herbicide agent means a chemical in an herbicide used in support of the United States and allied military operations in the Republic of Vietnam[,] . Called a Vietnam era vet same . This information is not a substitute for legal advice. specifically: 2,4-D; 2,4,5-T and its contaminant TCDD; cacodylic acid; and picloram. 38 C.F.R. The latest additions to the Agent Orange presumptive list comes from Sec. U.S. Army Manual 3-3 (dated 1971) advises that a 500-meter buffer zone must be maintained to avoid damage caused by drifts while ground spraying herbicides. I was stationed at cck in the usaf Taiwan and went tdy to nam phong tailand. Deland, FL: 1607 South State Road 15A Suite 12 Deland, FL 32720, Satellite Offices In approximately September 1958, 2,4,5-T was adopted for use by the government under Specification O-H-210 and Federal Stock Number (FSN) 6840-577-4201 for a 55-gallon drum, and then later under FSN 6840-616-9159 for a five-gallon can. This benefit is a tax-free monthly, There are a wide variety of benefits that we have found, which every veteran should know about. This is such a flagrant disgrace to those who served in nam phong. The Rules provided authorization for, and limits on, the employment of herbicides throughout the Southeast Asian conflict. Several veterans statements also indicate herbicides were used within the perimeters of the bases. The color distortion caused by leaking barrels containing herbicides is noted in pictures of herbicides stored on Johnston Atoll. I have been dealing with this for years now with Tricare and Medicare and I think it is time to see what I can do with the VA.Thank you for helping me brothers and letting me that I am not alone. Why Hire CCK for Your VA Disability Appeal? Application of herbicides must be directed toward retarding growth to provide a cleared area. A key fact leading topresumptiveherbicide agent exposure for Vietnam veterans was that herbicide records were incomplete, making it impossible to determine who was actually exposed. U-Tapao Air Base, Thailand, 1972 The National Archives return to top It is also another indicator that herbicide use was prevalent and supports statements from Airmen regarding the use of herbicides throughout Thailand. ; Delta des Roten Flusses: Diese fruchtbare Gegend rund um die Hauptstadt Hanoi (H Ni) erstreckt sich bis zum Golf . 741 and S.B. Furthermore, the Memorandum for the Record contains erroneous and misleading statements. Agent Orange was a weed killer sprayed on the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. This means that veterans who meet certain eligibility criteria are automatically eligible for VA disability benefits. Vietnam-era Veterans whose service involved duty on or near the perimeters of military bases in Thailand anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975 may have been exposed to herbicides. In addition to being inapplicable, the Memorandum for the Record is outdated. Additionally, the1973 CHECO Reportstates that soil sterilization and herbicide use was approved by the embassy in 1969 in accordance with the Rules. Da Nang Cluster. If you filed a claim for one of these conditions in the past, the VA will automatically review your case to see if youre now eligible. Veterans who served on the ground in Vietnam, on inland waterways or certain Navy ships engaged in combat operations and who have one or more illnesses thought to be caused by exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants have presumptive status for disability benefits, meaning they only have to prove that they served in the theater to receive health care and compensation. Please call for an appointment before visiting: Mail Processing Center: P.O. Click here to sign up. 3.307defines herbicide agents as 2,4-D; 2,4,5-T and its contaminant TCDD (also known as dioxin), cacodylic acid, and picloram. The institute of Medicine which does studies for the VA found the aircraft after 20 to 300 years still contained enough residue to get exposure from A O. The directive delegated authority to approve defoliation requests using hand spray and ground-based power spray methods. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Veterans who qualify and . I am currently 60%. For veterans like Rhodes who served in Nam Phong, Thailand, this is a policy they are calling on Congress to change. I struggle. Sometimes it takes an act of Congress to modernize benefits like in the case with the Blue Water Navy legislation. 3.307 and 3.309 provide the legal authority and framework for awarding benefits to Vietnam veterans with herbicide agent-related diseases.

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