Noteboom The Law Firm

Vietnam Veterans With Service-Related Cancer Not Getting Deserved Benefits

Vietnam Veterans with Agent Orange connected diseases have been a big story over the last couple of years. This has certainly been true ever since the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began adding new presumptive illnesses to list of diseases connected to exposure with Agent Orange (dioxin). Following those veterans who have been exposed to dioxin, however, has fallen by the wayside.

According to some research, Vietnam veterans have pancreatic and brain cancer at a rate 5 to 7 times higher than the general civilian population. For lung cancer, their rates are at least twice as high as civilians.

There are no central databases or registries, however, following these veteran populations with these cancers. More than that, the VA does not, and is not required to, report these instances of cancer to the nationwide statistical tracking program for cancer, the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology End Result (SEER). They are not reporting any veterans with brain cancer.

Lack of reporting such statistics makes it impossible to accurately know what types of cancer Vietnam veterans suffer from, and with what frequency. The VA defends their non-reporting to national registries as protecting the privacy of their patients.

At the same time, unfortunately, that non-reporting deprives veterans from receiving earned benefits for being diagnosed with service-related cancers caused by exposure to Agent Orange. This affects not just veterans, but their families.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.