Shinseki Decision Adds Three Presumptive Illnesses to VA List

Voices are critical, but this the news still represent progress.

Eric Shinseki of the Veteran's Administration

(DA NANG, Vietnam) - A number of American Vietnam Veterans say they were pleased over Secretary Eric Shinseki's recent decision to add 3 more illnesses to the growing list of "presumptive illnesses", now totaling 15.

But instead of seeing 100% positive response from veteran's and various writers that claim to be veterans and advocates, they have pointed to the downside:

Larry Scott, founder of the Web site, VA Watchdog and a long-time veteran’s advocate, wrote in an e-mail that Shinseki’s decision would clog an already backed-up claims system “beyond belief.”

Jim Strickland, another veteran’s advocate, whose work can be found on VA Watchdog and The Veteran’s Voice Veterans Voice, is also troubled with what will be an escalating backlog, but urged Vietnam veterans to file claims for “angina, shortness of breath, any arrhythmia, any vascular disease (heart, renal, carotid, leg, ED), or any other condition that might be associated with ischemic heart disease, you should begin to file and set your effective date,” he wrote.

“The kinks will be ironed out as we see what this brings to us. My bet is that there are easily tens of thousands of veterans who will be eligible for the ischemic heart disease benefit and that many more who will see associated benefits come their way.”

But Strickland offered this warning: “If you thought VA was behind in processing claims before ... wait a few months, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I found these quotes on this site: wickedlocal.com/burlington/news/lifestyle/columnists/x826020342/Shinseki-steps-up

We can always find the negative aspect of such a decision - but instead of these discouraging remarks, they, especially who claim to be "veteran's advocates" should be looking and pushing the VA as well as the other US Government Departments responsible for getting these changes through the system and looking into the ongoing bureaucracy that has existed for years, within the US Government.

That is where the real problem continues - it is the VA's duty and responsibility to trim the fat, remove all of the unnecessary steps and paperwork to ensure timely processing of claims. Moreover, they better be ready for more and more claims, because there are more illnesses to follow that will be added to the presumptive list, more veterans will apply, and obviously, lets not forget the Iraq and Afghanistan vet - especially now that we have committed to additional troops to be deployed to Afghanistan.

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Chuck Palazzo is a Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran, the Interim Editor for Agent Orange, and a longtime Vietnam Veterans Against the War Member. Chuck Palazzo has spent years since the war studying the impacts and effects of Agent Orange, a defoliant chemical sprayed by the U.S. govt. on the jungles of Vietnam. He says Dioxins have been re-discovered to cause all sorts of damage to humans. These include Heart Disease, Parkinsonism, Diabetes etcetera. Dioxins are already known to produce serious birth defects and a variety of cancers. The chemical is still sold in Third World Countries and causing the same problems.

We at Salem-News.com welcome Chuck aboard and look forward to sharing more of his stories with our readers in the future.