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September 30, 2010 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is taking the stance that every one of the 2.6 million Vietnam veterans was exposed to Agent Orange while in country. If any of these veterans suffer from any of the 15 diseases on the VA's presumptive disease list they do not have to provide proof they were ever in the area where Agent Orange was sprayed or that their particular disease resulted from their time in service in order to collect disability benefits.
By taking the stance on presumptive diseases the VA is taking, they anticipate adding 240,000 expected disability claims. Because of this, the VA awarded a $9.1 million contract to IBM to develop a system to process all the Agent Orange claims and have it developed in 3 months. The hypothetical system was supposed to be able to process machine readable claims that would be submitted electronically by veterans.
VA Secretary Eric Shinseki celebrated the idea of designing a new claims system in order to specifically handle the Agent Orange claims. IBM, however, developed their serious problems while designing the system. If IBM was able to complete the system they had begun building, it would have only been able to process 30,000 claims.
Both the VA and Sec. Eric Shinseki have contacted IBM to express their dissatisfaction. Additionally, the VA issued a notice looking for a second company to build the claims system with a bonus for a 15 day quick start. The Senate Appropriations Committee gave the VA $13.4 billion to cover Agent Orange claims, and the VA still has a huge backlog of disability claims overall. It is imperative, then, that this processing system is built soon and can do the job efficiently.
Soldiers can return home with a number of conditions, injuries, and aggravated preexisting conditions. If you believe you have a service-connected physical or psychological injury you may be entitled to Veterans’ Disability Compensation.
At LaVan and Neidenberg, we are determined to secure veterans their rightful disability compensation and disability rating. We wrote this book for you! In it you will find valuable tips on how to navigate the claims process and avoid common pitfalls. Request your FREE copy today!
Or, complete our short contact form or call us directly at 1.888.234.5758 to schedule your FREE case evaluation.
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