Roberto T. Cast
05-01-03, 01:36 AM
If there are any Korean Veterans out there, this may applied to you for new benefits.
Changes loom in benefits for veterans
By Amanda Lee, Macomb Daily Staff Writer April 29, 2003
Macomb County's Veterans Service Office has released a series of announcements aimed at helping veterans who could be entitled to certain benefits.
Richard Weaver, assistant director of the office, said the announcements are the only way to make veterans aware of what they could be entitled to.
"Unfortunately, a lot of our area veterans aren't aware when changes to (benefits) are made, and the only way they can (find out) is through news coverage," he said. "We want to be able to help them when we can."
Among the new announcements:
The Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to extend benefits to Vietnam War veterans with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Evidence has surfaced that exposure to herbicides such as Agent Orange greatly increases the chances of getting CLL.
"I am exercising my legal authority to ensure that the full range of VA benefits are available to Vietnam veterans with CLL," said Anthony J. Principi, U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The ruling means that veterans diagnosed with CLL who served in Vietnam during the war do not have to prove that their illness is related to their military service to qualify for VA Disability Compensation.
Effective since late last year, the code of federal regulations has been amended to reflect new hearing loss standards that say when the VA is rating hearing loss cases, deafness in a non-service connected ear problem will be considered along with the service-damaged ear.
"What that means is that any veteran who has hearing loss in one ear, and if the good ear gets damaged by the bad ear, then they will compensate the other ear bilaterally," Weaver said.
Weaver urged veterans affected by this to contact his office.
"If they bring a new hearing test to our office, and then the VA medical center verifies it, then they'll get compensation for both ears," he said.
Vietnam veterans with Type 2 Diabetes are eligible to receive disability compensation that ranges from $104 to $2,193 a month.
The number of diseases recognized by the VA as associated with the Agent Orange herbicide has increased steadily since the early 1990s. The list includes chlorachne (a skin disorder), porphyria cutanea tarda (a liver disorder), peripheral neuropathy, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma and Hodgkin's disease.
Any veteran who served in Korea between April 1968 and July 1969 and stationed along the demilitarized zone in either the 138th, 238th, 123rd, 223rd, 323rd, 332nd, 117th or the 217th infantry; the 109th, 209th, 173rd, 227th or 173rd armor; or the 47th and 210th cavalry may file a claim for Agent Orange development.
"A lot of our Korean veterans are suffering from the same things our Vietnam veterans are due to the Agent Orange," Weaver said. "If they came down with any of the ailments of the Agent Orange Act they can also file a claim under the same criteria as their Vietnam counterparts."
For more information on any of the new developments, contact the Macomb County Veterans Service Office at (586) 469-5315.
ŠThe Macomb Daily 2003
:banana: :marine:
Changes loom in benefits for veterans
By Amanda Lee, Macomb Daily Staff Writer April 29, 2003
Macomb County's Veterans Service Office has released a series of announcements aimed at helping veterans who could be entitled to certain benefits.
Richard Weaver, assistant director of the office, said the announcements are the only way to make veterans aware of what they could be entitled to.
"Unfortunately, a lot of our area veterans aren't aware when changes to (benefits) are made, and the only way they can (find out) is through news coverage," he said. "We want to be able to help them when we can."
Among the new announcements:
The Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to extend benefits to Vietnam War veterans with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Evidence has surfaced that exposure to herbicides such as Agent Orange greatly increases the chances of getting CLL.
"I am exercising my legal authority to ensure that the full range of VA benefits are available to Vietnam veterans with CLL," said Anthony J. Principi, U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The ruling means that veterans diagnosed with CLL who served in Vietnam during the war do not have to prove that their illness is related to their military service to qualify for VA Disability Compensation.
Effective since late last year, the code of federal regulations has been amended to reflect new hearing loss standards that say when the VA is rating hearing loss cases, deafness in a non-service connected ear problem will be considered along with the service-damaged ear.
"What that means is that any veteran who has hearing loss in one ear, and if the good ear gets damaged by the bad ear, then they will compensate the other ear bilaterally," Weaver said.
Weaver urged veterans affected by this to contact his office.
"If they bring a new hearing test to our office, and then the VA medical center verifies it, then they'll get compensation for both ears," he said.
Vietnam veterans with Type 2 Diabetes are eligible to receive disability compensation that ranges from $104 to $2,193 a month.
The number of diseases recognized by the VA as associated with the Agent Orange herbicide has increased steadily since the early 1990s. The list includes chlorachne (a skin disorder), porphyria cutanea tarda (a liver disorder), peripheral neuropathy, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma and Hodgkin's disease.
Any veteran who served in Korea between April 1968 and July 1969 and stationed along the demilitarized zone in either the 138th, 238th, 123rd, 223rd, 323rd, 332nd, 117th or the 217th infantry; the 109th, 209th, 173rd, 227th or 173rd armor; or the 47th and 210th cavalry may file a claim for Agent Orange development.
"A lot of our Korean veterans are suffering from the same things our Vietnam veterans are due to the Agent Orange," Weaver said. "If they came down with any of the ailments of the Agent Orange Act they can also file a claim under the same criteria as their Vietnam counterparts."
For more information on any of the new developments, contact the Macomb County Veterans Service Office at (586) 469-5315.
ŠThe Macomb Daily 2003
:banana: :marine: