Toxic Exposure
Veterans can collect compensation for disabilities related to injuries or diseases either caused by exposure to toxic chemicals or herbicides during active military service or aggravated by exposure to the chemicals. These are called service-connected disabilities.
Veterans of Vietnam may develop disabling diseases related to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides. Meanwhile, Gulf War veterans have reported clusters of unexplained symptoms, including chronic fatigue, irritable bowel and fibromyalgia, which last for six months or more. The VA provides compensation payments to chronically disabled Gulf War veterans with undiagnosed illnesses.
Establishing the right to disability compensation related to chemical exposure during military service can be a complicated and time-consuming process. The lawyers at Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law, are experienced at helping veterans establish their disability claims at every step in the filing and appeals process.
Call us toll-free at 1.877.Veteran (877.838.3726) or use our online contact form.
Agent Orange
Veterans may be eligible for disability compensation and health care benefits for diseases associated with Agent Orange, a herbicide widely used in Vietnam. More than 100,000 veterans were exposed to herbicides while in Vietnam, according to the VA.
To obtain disability compensation for Agent Orange exposure, a veteran must present a medical diagnosis of a disease that the VA recognizes as associated with Agent Orange and show evidence of service in Vietnam. There is a long list of veterans’ diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure, including:
- Peripheral Neuropathy, a nervous condition that causes numbness, tingling and motor weakness
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Hodgkin’s Disease, a malignant cancer
- Prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers among men
- Respiratory cancers including lung cancer
- Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2).
The VA recently proposed adding three more diseases — Parkinson’s disease, ischemic heart disease and B-cell leukemias — to the list of those presumed to be related to Agent Orange exposure. Even though the additions to the list haven’t been finalized, veterans with these diseases should submit applications for compensation so they can receive compensation from the date of their application once the rule becomes final. Veterans who served in Vietnam and have a presumed disease don’t have to prove a link between their disease and military service, which speeds up the process for claiming benefits.
Gulf War Symptoms
Research continues on the health effects of exposure to neurotoxic insecticides and to pyridostigmine bromide pills taken by U.S. troops during the Gulf War to neutralize the effects of nerve gas attacks. Since returning from the Gulf War, many veterans have presented a litany of unexplained symptoms, including memory and concentration problems, persistent headaches, unexplained fatigue, widespread pain, chronic digestive difficulties, respiratory symptoms and skin rashes.
Recently, the VA published a proposed rule that, when finalized, will make it easier for veterans of the Gulf War and Afghanistan to collect disability compensation for nine infectious diseases on the presumption that they were service-related. A veteran will only have to show service in Southwest Asia or Afghanistan and a current diagnosis of one of the nine diseases. The diseases are:
- Brucellosis
- Campylobacter jejuni
- Coxiella burnetii (Q fever)
- Malaria
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- Non-typhoid Salmonella
- Shigella
- Visceral leishmaniasis
- West Nile Virus.
The presumption applies for veterans who served in Iraq and Southwest Asia after August 2, 1990 or in Afghanistan starting in September 19, 2001.
Mustard Gas
The VA generally authorizes service-connection and compensation to veterans who were exposed to significant levels of mustard gas or Lewisite, a blister-producing chemical, and suffer from health problems, including chronic conjunctivitis, keratitis, laryngeal and lung cancer, emphysema, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
If you think you may be eligible for disability benefits on the basis of chemical exposure or other service-related disabilities, contact Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law, for a free consultation. We can offer guidance regarding your eligibility.
We do not charge veterans for attorneys' fees unless we are successful in obtaining disability benefits for our clients.
To schedule a consultation, call the disability benefits lawyers at Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law, toll-free at 1.877.Veteran (877.838.3726) or through our online contact form.
